Influential Jazz Saxophone Great Pharoah Sanders Dies At 81
LOS ANGELES – Varroa Sanders, an influential saxophonist revered in the jazz world for the spirituality of his work, has died. He was 81 years old.
Sanders, who was also known for his extensive work with John Coltrane in the 1960s, died early Saturday morning in Los Angeles, according to a tweet by Luaka Bop, who released Promises in 2021, a collaboration with electronic music producer Floating Points. W: London Symphony Orchestra. The album was Sanders' first new record in two decades.
There is no reason in the message. A phone message left with Luaka Bopp in New York was not immediately returned.
"We are saddened to announce the passing of Pharaoh Sanders. He passed away peacefully this morning in Los Angeles surrounded by his loving family and friends. Always and forever my most beautiful man, may he rest in peace," the brand said in a statement. . message. . . Twitter with heart emoji.
Born in 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Sanders Pharrell Sanders began his musical career playing the clarinet in church, but switched to jazz and blues after picking up the tenor saxophone in high school. As a teenager, Sanders would sneak into clubs to play with passing bands.
He will begin his career after moving to Oakland, California to live with relatives. In 1961, he moved to New York, where he performed in R&B groups and was homeless for a while before becoming an experimental jazz pianist and leader of Sun Ra. It was Ra who encouraged him to use the name "Pharaoh" and invited him to play in the Arkestra. It was recorded live in 1964 during Sanders' brief stint with the band, but released a decade later in 1976.
Sanders also played with other latecomers such as trumpeter Don Cherry and pianist Paul Bley before joining Coltrane's band in 1965. By this time, Sanders had developed his own unique winding style of creating harmonic sounds using his saxophone. The two musicians pushed the band to freer improvisation on long tape recordings, Ascension and Om , as well as a series of live recordings made before Coltrane's untimely death in 1967 at the age of 40.
Sanders will sign with Impulse. Records (the same label Coltrane operated on until his death in the 1960s) and began releasing his own jazz albums on the label.
Among the saxophonist's best-known compositions are "Upper and Lower Egypt" from his Tahuid debut, featuring guitarist and future collaborator Sonny Sharrock, and his two-part epic "The Creator Has a Master Plan." From the album Karma . The total length of the route is about 33 minutes. Sanders also continued to collaborate with Coltrane's wife, Alice, as well as singer Leon Thomas in the 1970s.
Although dissatisfied with the record industry, Sanders did not release new albums for a long time after working with Theresa in the 1980s, but he often appeared in jazz clubs and festivals. Sanders returned to the East Bay in 1986 and stayed in the Bay Area for several years. He was at Yoshi's original location in North Oakland, often playing several week-long residencies there a year, as well as making regular appearances at the San Francisco Jazz Festival.
He continued to make early recordings in the 1990s, including Bill Lasswell's collaboration with Gnaoua musician Malem Mahmoud Jania in Morocco and reuniting with Sharrock on Ask the Ages , a modern jazz classic featuring Coltrane drummer and bassist Elvin Jones. . The talented Charnette Moffett. .
