Grammy Award winning release from 1989, this later work sees a move away from the screeching avant gardism of earlier works, revealing Sanders to be equally masterful at thoughtful, pensive improvisation. A less heralded part of Pharoah's cannon, making it a lost treasure deserving rediscovery.

Here Sanders plays with an all-star line-up consisting of Stafford James (Sun Ra) on bass, William Henderson (Roy Ayers) on piano, and Eddie Moore (Sonny Rollins) on drums. Moon Child, with its attractively spacy vocals, is reminiscent of the days of The Creator Has a Master Plan, and this mood is kept throughout the album and in the choice of cosmic tunes represented on it.

On this album the legendary saxophonist clearly reinvented himself as a more traditional improviser, capable of thoughtful and pensive deliberations. Catchy mystical New Age vocals, astrological references... Pharoah may remain an acquired taste, but few jazzmen can equal his unique formula of mastering the ‘groove’.

21/07/23