The recent release of the Sam Shepherd/Pharoah Sanders collaboration has taken many people by surprise, the biggest one being how good it is. When I listened to the download the morning it was released, I realised it would have an ambient vibe right through the entire piece. And that wasn't a disappointment, it just seemed to hit the right spot at the right time for me. This hitting the right spot feeling was echoed in many of the online comments and reviews. I'm not attempting to review the album here, just attempting to place Sanders in the contemporary context of this record.
When Sanders came to prominence in John Coltrane's band, Trane had been looking to move in a much more avant garde direction. During this period in 1965, Coltrane's musical development was stellar, (and fortunately much of it was recorded by Impulse). Trane wanted to expand his quartet format by adding some of the younger musicians breaking through onto the scene, in live settings, and also in the studio. Coltrane felt he needed to add Sanders as a permanent member when he was adding Rashied Ali as an additional drummer during live sessions. You could argue that at the time, Coltrane needed Sanders more than Sanders needed Coltrane. Sanders didn't need to join the 'classic' quartet, but could have forged his own path, but he had so much respect for Coltrane that it likely was an easy decision.
The energy Sanders brought to Trane was clearly a major factor in the late Trane period. He gave Trane what he was looking for in a collaborator. Post Trane, he gave Alice Coltrane what she needed on her (now) classic albums like Journey ... and Ptah the El Douad. Leading his own band at Impulse, the journey became more spiritual, and yes, with more groove, but still showed his improvising nous.
It was as a band leader on Impulse, his collaborations with Alice Coltrane, then some of his subsequent records, that Pharoah became contemporary in the 1990s and 2000s with DJs and producers. They brought his work back into prominence, albeit in a limited sense, but crucially, with young musicians and producers.
Moving to the now older Sanders; in his recent live performances, his energy was clearly and understandably less than it had been. But the expectation was still there with the back catalogue.
This context is what hit me the most with the new album. It's perfect for the older Pharoah Sanders, and very contemporary in 2021. He's collaborating as he always has, and is still delivering to the maximum within the context.
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