Although this was recorded a few months back, now is the perfect time to soak up Pharoah Sanders' peaceful optimism.
Behold the snow-bearded tenor saxist, robed in white and usually enthroned, his eyes either closed or fixed beyond the earthly plane, his countenance like a bust of Ramses, his right hand offering occasional benedictions. Back to back with his big shave-skulled vizier, saxist Azar Lawrence, Sanders turned toward us and joined in the two-horn unisons and simple harmonies of his "Tina," opening our airways and providing a flexible framework for his remarkable band.
Since this was John Coltrane's birthday (September 23), and since Coltrane's 1965 sponsorship had ushered Sanders onto the world stage, it was natural that the next selection would be Trane's ballad "Naima," which the band amplified via soulful Afro-groove without sacrificing any of its loveliness. Much of the flavor derived from the insistent subtlety of Munyungo Jackson's percussion, riding the heartbeat groove of rock-informed drummer Tony Austin and nimble bassist Sekon Bunch. Here and throughout the set, John Beasley dug into his chiming electric piano to release an atmosphere of magical funkitude that we feared had dissipated forever in the '70s. Singer Tiffany Austin joined in the role of third horn.
As the caravan traveled on, we marveled at Tiffany's distinctive ability to harmonize, croon, scat and even yodel, not to mention look stunning in her African dress. Although my hopes that she was yearning for a "News Guy" were dashed when the lilting, somewhat Sun Ra-like tune turned out to be "New Sky," thoughtful lyrics such as "Though reborn, we are ancient" softened the blow.
Through Lawrence's waltz "The Birds Are Singing" ("They sing when there's an earthquake coming") and Sanders' Latinate "All in Love," the two saxes vibrated with just enough commonality and just enough individuality. Lawrence's crisp, hard drive on tenor recalled Coltrane, while he took a more fluid, bluesy approach to the soprano. Sanders concentrated on the tenor statements he could make in a single breath, exhaling warm haikus and just hinting at the polytonal overblowing that used to be his trademark. In some ways, he's better now than ever.
For the finale, the ensemble stretched out on the inevitable mantra of Sanders' best-known composition, "The Creator Has a Master Plan," recorded in 1969, within months of the chaotic Democratic National Convention, Black Panther Huey Newton's conviction, Martin Luther King Jr.'s murder and the Altamont concert disaster. Even with all that's happening now, Pharoah just about had me believing the Creator might be on the job.
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