Yahoo News Pharoah Sanders Dies: Jazz Saxman Who Played With John Coltrane Was 81
Pharoah Sanders, the revered tenor saxophone player who was part of John Coltrane’s band in the 1960s and helped popularize the spiritual jazz movement, died Saturday in Los Angeles, his label announced. He was 81.
Luaka Bop revealed the news on social media. “Always and forever the most beautiful human being,” the label wrote. See the full post below.
More from Deadline
This Week In Music: Jay-Z Buys In, Music Festivals Fade, New John Coltrane Album
Jim Post Dies: Singer-Songwriter Of One-Hit Wonder "Reach Out Of The Darkness" Was 82
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery
Born Farrell Sanders on October 13, 1940, in Little Rock, AK, he briefly studied music at Oakland Junior College before relocating to New York, where he played with Sun Ra — who gave Sanders the “Pharoah” nickname. The Sun Ra live album Featuring Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold was recorded on New Year’s Eve 1964, but not released until 1976.
Everett Collection
After recording his debut solo album, Pharoah’s First, he began playing live gigs and recording with Coltrane. He went on to play on about a dozen of the jazz legend’s albums — from 1965’s Ascension! to 1967’s Expression.
Sanders went on to play on albums by the likes of Ornette Colman, Don Cherry, Alice Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, McCoy Tyner and many others. His final album credit was last year’s Promises by Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra.
He was an integral part of the spiritual jazz movement, characterized by overblowing and multiphonic techniques. Sanders’ 1969 Karma cracked the Billboard 200 album chart, as did Thembi (1971) and Love Will Find a Way (1978). He continued recording throughout a five-decade-plus career.
“Just let the music come, and spend as much time as you can listening,” Sanders told NPR in a 2021 interview. “I listen to myself so that I know what I need to work on, and I let that be my guide.”
Best of Deadline
NFL 2022 Schedule: Primetime TV Games, Thanksgiving Menu, Christmas Tripleheader & More
The Queen Onscreen: 15 Actresses (And Actors) Who've Played Elizabeth II In Film And On TV
'Blonde' Premiere Photo Gallery: Ana de Armas Channels Marilyn Monroe At Venice Film Festival
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
