Description
The LP:
Pharaoh Sanders joins with Sam Shepherd, the British producer and composer who records under the name Floating Points, on a sweeping, nine-movement piece called Promises.
Shepherd composed the music, played various instruments, electronic and otherwise, and enlisted the London Symphony Orchestra to perform it. Sometimes the piece is so quiet you might check your volume setting to see if it’s still on, and other times, when the strings hit a crescendo, it’s earth-shaking. In the middle of this tapestry is Sanders, his warm tone and fluid technique undiminished even at 80 years old, listening to his surroundings and finding brilliant patterns to stitch the work together and thus elevate it.
The arc of Promises needs time and space to unfold, and the length and continuous nature of the piece is central to its impact. If it were 20 minutes longor 60it wouldnt have the same force. Nothing is rushed, but nothing is lingered over for too long, either. And as gorgeous as Shepherds music and arrangements are, I keep circling back to Sanders, his horn now quieter but just as emotionally powerful as when he wielded it alongside John Coltrane at age 25, when he was ripping terrifying blasts of sound that could peel paint. Hes always been quiet as far as the press goes, doing few interviews and letting his playing do the talking. On this piece, a clear late-career masterpiece, its saying plenty.
The all-star collaboration between a producer, a saxophonist, and a symphony is a celestial event. But its Pharoah Sanders playing that holds it all together, a clear late-career masterpiece.
Credit:Mark Richardson at Pitchfork
The Event:
We would like to host16 of you on Wednesday March 4th at 6.30pm when we willdim the lights, even offer you a blackout eye mask and then drop the needle for an incredibly deep listening experience.
This is the LP we always had in mind to launch the Listening Room Events and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Ticket prices are 50% off when bought with the LP (which is the Die Cut Gatefold Sleeve 180g version)
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