Pharoah Sanders

Pharoah Sanders is a tenor saxophonist whose intense, spiritually charged playing made him a central figure in Free Jazz and Spiritual Jazz. His career timeline shows his evolution from avant-garde explorer to spiritual music pioneer: from his crucial work with John Coltrane’s final groups (1965-1967), where his multiphonic techniques and overblowing expanded the possibilities of the saxophone, to his own groundbreaking leadership on Impulse! Records. Albums like “Karma” (1969), featuring the epic “The Creator Has a Master Plan”, and “Thembi” established his approach of combining extended improvisations, Eastern spiritual concepts, and accessible grooves. His work throughout the 1970s on Impulse! produced a prolific run of albums that defined the Spiritual Jazz movement, blending free improvisation with African rhythms, modal structures, and meditative atmospheres. Later in his career, he maintained his relevance through collaborations spanning generations, from his work with Floating Points on the acclaimed “Promises” (2021) to consistent touring that brought his transcendent sound to new audiences. His influence on both Free Jazz and the broader spiritual music movement remains immeasurable.