Pharoah Sanders, a well-known jazz saxophonist, died on September 24 at the age of 81, according to his label Luaka Bop, which announced the news on Twitter. Pharoah’s cause of death is unclear, and further information about where he died and his burial is anticipated to be released shortly.
Pharoah Sanders’s career as a jazz saxophonist
Pharoah Sanders, born on October 13, 1940, was a member of John Coltrane’s ensembles throughout the 1960s and made over 30 recordings. He worked with musicians including Leon Thomas and Alice Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman, a saxophonist, acknowledged him as the finest tenor player in the world. Sanders’ mother worked as a school cafeteria chef, while his father worked for the City of Little Rock. Pharoah began playing the tenor saxophone while attending Scipio Jones High School. Jimmy Cannon, a saxophonist, introduced him to jazz. In 1959, the pianist graduated from high school and enrolled in Oakland Junior College, where he performed in both black and white clubs.
Sanders began his professional saxophone career in Oakland, California, then moved to New York City in 1961. In 1965, he joined John Coltrane’s band and recorded with him on albums such as Ascension and Meditations. In 1968, he created additional free jazz and appeared on the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra’s self-titled record. Pharoah Sanders’ debut album, Pharoah’s First, was not well received, and he signed with Impulse! in 1966. He continued to record and collaborated with Alice Coltrane on her album, Journey in Satchidananda.
The majority of his popular pieces were issued on Impulse Records, and he started to experiment with numerous musical styles including R&B, modal jazz, and hard bop. He quit Impulse! in 1973 and went on to work for several labels. He appeared on the album Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool and worked on Solomon’s Daughter alongside percussionist and composer Franklin Kiermyer. He even worked on records with Laswell, Jah Wobble, and other well-known musicians. Sanders went on to perform at a number of events, including the 2004 Bluesfest Byron Bay, the 2007 Melbourne Jazz Festival, and the 2008 Big Chill Festival.
In 2016, he was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship and was recognized in a memorial performance in Washington, DC. He will record a collaboration with music producer and DJ Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra in 2020. In March 2021, he released Promises, an album that got favorable reviews.
Twitter users pay tribute
Pharoah Sanders has established himself as a gifted saxophonist throughout the years. When word of his death spread, Twitter was inundated with tributes. Pharoah’s survival includes family relatives, although specifics about his personal life and family are unclear.
RIP to an absolute titan of jazz. If you’ve never listened to Pharoah Sanders before, do yourself a favour and seek out Karma, Elevation, and Black Unity. Then listen to everything else pic.twitter.com/satvs0Ns8w
— Oliver Kemp (@deepcutstweets) September 24, 2022
RIP to an absolute titan of jazz. If you’ve never listened to Pharoah Sanders before, do yourself a favour and seek out Karma, Elevation, and Black Unity. Then listen to everything else pic.twitter.com/satvs0Ns8w
— Oliver Kemp (@deepcutstweets) September 24, 2022
