Pharoah Sanders (1940-2022) was an American tenor saxophonist from Little Rock, Arkansas, whose overblowing and multiphonic techniques made him one of the most distinctive voices in jazz. He rose to prominence as a key member of John Coltrane's groups in the mid-1960s and went on to shape the spiritual jazz movement through more than thirty albums as a leader. His 1969 recording Karma - anchored by the 32-minute epic 'The Creator Has a Master Plan' - became a landmark of avant-garde jazz, and his final album Promises (2021), recorded with electronic producer Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra, was met with near-universal critical acclaim. He received a Grammy Award in 1988 and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2016.
Pharoah Sanders died peacefully in Los Angeles on September 24, 2022, at the age of 81; his label Luaka Bop announced the news.
Sanders released Promises with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra on March 26, 2021 - his first album of new material in over a decade - to near-universal critical acclaim.
Promises was shortlisted for the 2021 Mercury Prize.
Sanders was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2016, the highest honor the United States awards to a jazz musician.
Sanders received a Grammy Award in 1988 for the album Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane, shared with McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Cecil McBee, and David Murray.
😴 Nothing scheduled with this artist in the near future.
