Pharoah (album)

Pharoah
Studio album by
Released1977
RecordedAugust and September 1976
GenreJazz
Length40:20
LabelIndia Navigation
ProducerIndia Navigation Company
Pharoah Sanders chronology
Elevation
(1974)
Pharoah
(1977)
Love Will Find a Way
(1977)

Pharoah is an album by the saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, recorded in 1976 and released on the India Navigation label.[1] The album was reissued in 2023, along with two live performances of "Harvest Time".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Pitchfork8.9/10[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide[5]

In a review for AllMusic, John Bush acknowledged that "the playing is excellent", but stated that Sanders was "beginning to drift into watery new age muzak." He concluded: "Clearly, Pharoah Sanders was losing his way a full ten years after the death of John Coltrane."[2]

A 2023 review of the reissue by Pitchfork was given the site's "Best New Reissue" distinction, with Mark Richardson writing that it "captures a feeling of unearthly magic" as "the modest recording is perfect for the music, framing a peculiar mood and atmosphere that's lusty and joyous one moment and haunting and meditative the next".[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Pharoah Sanders.

  1. "Harvest Time" – 20:15
  2. "Love Will Find a Way" – 14:31
  3. "Memories of Edith Johnson" – 5:40

Personnel

Charts

2023 chart performance for Pharoah
Chart (2023) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6] 54
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[7] 41
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[8] 38

References

  1. ^ Pharoah Sanders discography accessed January 12, 2015
  2. ^ a b Bush, John. "Pharoah – Pharoah Sanders | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 245.
  4. ^ a b Richardson, Mark (September 16, 2023). "Pharoah Sanders: Pharoah Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  5. ^ Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 593.
  6. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pharoah Sanders – Pharoah" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  8. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2023.