Elevation,
Pharoah Sanders' final album for
Impulse!, is a mixed bag. Four of the five cuts were recorded live at
the Ash Grove in Los Angeles in September of 1973, and the lone studio track,
"Greeting to Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)," was recorded in the same month at
Wally Heider's studio. The live date is fairly cohesive, with beautiful
modal piano work from
Joe Bonner,
Pharoah playing tenor and soprano as well as a myriad of percussion instruments and vocalizing in places, and a percussion and rhythm section that included
Michael Carvin on drums, bassist
Calvin Hill, and hand drummers
John Blue and
Lawrence Killian. The standout on the set is the opener. At 18 minutes, it's the longest thing here and gives the band a chance to stretch into African and
Latin terrains.
Sanders' long, loping, suspended lines create a kind of melodic head that is underscored by
Bonner's hypnotically repetitive piano work, playing the same chord progression over and over again as he begins his solos (one on each horn). Somewhere near the five-minute mark,
Pharoah enters into a primal wail and the whole thing becomes unhinged, moving into a deep blowing session of
free improv. Honks, squeals, wails, and
Bonner pounding the hell out of the piano erase any trace of what came before, and this goes on for four minutes before the theme restates itself and once more the magic begins. It's utterly compelling and engaging.
"Saud" finds a host of percussionists (including
Sanders) along with
Hill on tamboura,
Bonner, and violinist
Michael White. It's a subtle and droning work, full of a constant hum. The other long track,
"The Gathering," clocks in at almost 14 minutes, but instead of being a somber nocturnal work it's a lively South African-inspired work that nods to
Dollar Brand for inspiration. A gorgeous, nearly
carnival piece, it rolls and chugs and runs along on the steam created by
Bonner's beautiful chord work. The chorus of vocals chanting in the foreground and background adds to the party feel, but once again it choogles right off the track into some rather angry and then spooky
free improv, with a fine solo by
Hill. This may not rate as highly as some of
Sanders' other recordings for the label like
Thembi or
Karma, but there is plenty here for fans, and it is well worth the investigation and the purchase. ~ Thom Jurek
![Jaco [Original Soundtrack]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0888751413320_p0_v4_s90x140.jpg "Jaco [Original Soundtrack]")
![Pharoah [Expanded Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0680899800822_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Pharoah [Expanded Edition]")
