Today’s Sounds

 

Record:

Pharoah Sanders In the Beginning 1963–1964 (ESP)

 
Tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders rose to prominence as John Coltrane’s late-period sparring partner, appearing on peak 1965–67 Trane recordings including Meditations, Ascension and his last Olatunji concert. Following Coltrane’s passing, Sanders kept the tradition alive with LPs of his own ensembles through the early ’70s, notably the superb Izipho Zam.  But what did Sanders do prior to 1965 to attract Coltrane’s attention in the first place? This four-CD box set answers that question, with three sessions led by Don Cherry, Paul Bley and Sun Ra, and another dedicated to Sanders’ first session as leader.

The first disc contains five previously unreleased cuts from the Don Cherry Quintet from January 1963 (or possibly 1964) and another five from Paul Bley’s Quartet, recorded in May 1964. Both leaders had worked under Ornette Coleman, as did David Izenzon, who played bass on both dates, and the results echo the melodic and rhythmic freedom Ornette was known for. Bley was particularly fond of musicians who slide between playing free and blowing the changes, and we hear Sanders doing exactly that. Carla Bley’s catchy “Walking Woman” and “Generous” are each given two takes. Of side interest is a Thelonious Monk medley piano solo from Cherry, revealing his straight jazz influences.

Like Coltrane, Sanders coaxed otherworldly harmonics from his horn, but unlike Coltrane, he did so over relatively simple harmonic backgrounds. This methodology dominates his session as leader on the set’s second disc, which includes side-long takes of “Seven by Seven” and “Bethera” backed by a quintet of relative unknowns, including pianist Jane Getz.

Discs three and four are devoted to two consecutive concerts recorded live in NYC during Sanders’ brief 1964 stint with the Sun Ra Solar Arkestra, sitting in for John Gilmore. The band tours the usual planets and travels the familiar spaceways, and the sound is only slightly above bootleg quality.  Nevertheless, these concerts of obvious historical importance are presented in their entirety for the first time and find the band in fine form.

A series of audio interviews provide a peek into the early-’60s jazz lifestyle: there’s talk of Cherry getting Sanders’ sax out of hock, giving blood to buy pizza, Bley coaxing microtones from his piano and Sun Ra feeling neglected as an artist. A 32-page booklet provides personnel listings, a few archival photos and more anecdotal tidbits.
 

Track:

M.I.A. “Bad Girls” Surkin remix

 
Maya’s latest Soundcloud upload may be a remix of a six-month-old track, but it still acts as a teaser for her highly anticipated record Matangi, due for release sometime this year. This comes a couple of months after “Come Walk With Me” and a couple of weeks after a demo leak. Will Matangi be > Maya? God, I hope so.

 

Video:

Bat for Lashes “Laura”

 
It’s the first track from Natasha Khan’s third album, The Haunted Man, due out in October. It promises to be a more stripped down affair (ha-ha! but really), a departure from the ornate nature of previous Bat for Lashes releases.