Pharoah Sanders

Pharoah Sanders possesses one of the most distinctive tenor saxophone sounds in jazz. Harmonically rich and heavy with overtones, his sound can be as raw as it is gracefully soulful. Born in 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas he played in bands of such blues greats as Bobby Blue Bland and Little Junior Parker. After high school, he moved to Oakland, CA, and attended Oakland Junior College, where he studied art and music. Known in the Bay Area as “Little Rock,” Sanders soon began playing bebop, rhythm & blues, and free jazz with many of the region’s finest musicians, including fellow saxophonists Dewey Redman and Sonny Simmons. He moved to NY in 1961 and in 1963 formed a group with pianist John Hicks, bassist Wilbur Ware, and drummer Billy Higgins. At a gig at The Village Gate in 1964, John Coltrane was in the audience. Coltrane subsequently invited Sanders to join the John Coltrane Group. That same year Sanders released his first record as a leader on the ESP label. The late-period Coltrane group, also featuring Alice Coltrane, Jimmy Garrison, and Rashied Ali, was one of the most revolutionary and controversial groups in the history of jazz as represented by their recordings Om, Live at the Village Vanguard Again, and Live in Seattle. After Coltrane’s death in 1967, Sanders worked briefly with Trane’s widow, Alice Coltrane. He released several very popular albums on Impulse, including Tauhid, Karma, Black Unity, and Thembi. Now 68, Pharoah Sanders continues to have an almost cult-like following and is still going strong with an uncanny ability to play convincingly in a variety of contexts, from free to mainstream always maintaining his signature sound and energy. As a mature artist he has discovered a hard-edged lyricism that has served him well. “It’s a rare artist who can overcome the transitory nature of organized sound to make a song truly resonate within the human heart. Pharoah Sanders is one of the chosen few whose music still can affect listeners long after the coda has drifted off and the house lights have come up.” —Peter Koht. Pharoah Sanders will be accompanied by his long-time rhythm section of William Henderson, piano; Nat Reeves, bass; and Joe Farnsworth, drums.

Tickets $25–$60. Member, Student and Multiple Concert Sales Discounts available at Outpost Performance Space Box Office 505-268-0044; Lensic Box Office 505-988-1234; or on the web www.ticketssantafe.org

Thanks to Bob Lynn and Janet Braziel for their support of tonight’s concert by Pharoah Sanders.