Pharoah Sanders-Welcome to Love

February 23, 2025 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Pharoah Sanders-Welcome to Love

Known for his signature multi-phonic squawk and his contributions to the foundational recordings of the spiritual jazz firmament, this record is a departure from all that; it’s a bluesy, late-night excursion into a raft of standards that will make you wish you could hear more. Taken from several sessions recorded in France in the summer of 1990, the recording first appeared on LP recently. My copy, from Light in the Attic, claims that it is the first time the record has been released on vinyl. A quick search reveals that Timeless released a CD in 1991 and Tidal Waves (distributed by LITA) released a spate of LPs beginning in 2020, followed by a release licensed to Music on Vinyl, released circa 2023, which I have not heard.

The record was mastered by GZ Media and pressed at Precision Record Pressing, a Canadian outfit which has a joint venture with the Czech company. At least that’s what the credits say.

No doubt sourced from digital origins, the records are quiet, flat and sound good. The music will sound familiar—that’s because it is—timeless ballads written by the likes of Hoagy Carmichael, Billy Eckstine, the team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke and Frank Loesser. If you don’t recognize some of the names, you’ll recognize the music. Timeless stuff.

An enjoyable respite from the tumult of post- modern life. My bet is, Pharaoh enjoyed these sessions just as much as we can, now, thanks to these recordings.

Sound quality is top notch despite digital origins, spread among four sides. Well worth the reasonable price for a very accessible jazz record from a legendary player.

Bill Hart

February, 2025

Austin, Tx.

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