PHAROAH SANDERS' FINEST by PHAROAH SANDERS

Between 1970 and 1995, tenor saxophone player Pharoah Sanders was recording for a number of different small independent jazz labels. One of those labels was Netherlands based, Timeless. This is a double LP compilation of those recordings...He recorded three LP’s for the label ,“Africa”, “Moon Child” and “Welcome to Love”. Now Dopeness Galore have compiled the highlights of these records available on this solid eleven track compilation. These Timeless recordings were recorded in short periods of time, often a few days. “Moon Child” for example, was recorded in one night in 1989. Pharoah Sanders: “The night we put this album together we were all extremely exhausted. We had been touring when we arrived at this studio in Paris. The session lasted all night.” On his Timeless debut “Africa”, Pharoah Sanders (1940), intended or not, makes a link to the past. Not only does he pay explicit tribute to his late mentor John Coltrane, he is also joined by pianist John Hicks, who was part of Sanders’ first ensemble in 1963. By that time Pharoah Sanders was living in New York, and was struggling to make a living, at times sleeping on the streets. It was joining Coltrane’s ensemble which brought Pharoah Sanders stability and wide acclaim. After Coltrane’s passing, Sanders continued to work with his wife, Alice. On “Welcome to Love”, playing a series of famous ballads, the thin, reserved approach is reminiscent of Coltrane. However, it is still marked with Pharoah's trademark sound.