Pharoah Sanders: Love Is Here The Complete Paris 1975 ORTF Recordings

The saxophonist Pharoah Sanders was often described as an enigma of jazz, once famously characterized as "a mad wind screeching through the root-cellars of Hell." That "mad wind" is absent on Love Is Here: The Complete Paris 1975 ORTF Recordings, but the enigma remains. This pivotal album captures Sanders stretching out, away from his Impulse! Records contract, exploring a sound that moves beyond late-stage John Coltrane and places a greater emphasis on tone, melody, and lyrical expression.

Recorded live at Maison de la Radio's Studio 104 in Paris on November 17, 1975, this set is a crucial document that bridges the gap between his turbulent free-jazz explorations and the meditative tranquility of his later work. While the playing shows he retained his powerful, searing tone, it also showcases a new, beautiful, and tender side. This dual nature—the ability to be both explosive and gentle— became a defining characteristic of his playing from this point forward. While he never lost his immense energy, his post-Coltrane work often possessed a more reflective, controlled quality, allowing him to play beautiful ballads and standards, demonstrating a deep connection to the jazz tradition while retaining his wholly unique voice.

The quartet features Danny Mixon on piano and organ, Calvin Hill on double bass, and Greg Bandy on drums. They provide a superb foundation for Sanders's explorations.

The rhythm section's energy is a highlight. Greg Bandy drives the music with drumming that is crisp, dynamic, and always responsive. Calvin Hill's bass playing is exceptional and is perfectly captured by the recording; the fluidity and deep tone he obtains from his instrument contribute a foundational richness that constantly supports Sanders.

This recording was sourced from the archives of INA (Institut national de l'audiovisuel), the French public institution responsible for preserving the heritage of the state broadcaster, ORTF. The audio quality is excellent, offering a more complete and considerably better version than the abbreviated concert recordings issued in the past. The album notes from Kevin Whitehead are excellent. He details Sanders' work with Sun Ra and Ornette Coleman before the entry into the orbit of Coltrane. Whitehead reveals that Sanders was not keen to continue his playing style with Alice Coltrane. He said that he did not want to duplicate what John Coltrane had already played. The description of the concert stage, dominated by the organ in the background, is important.

The album showcases Sanders' remarkable range: "I Want To Talk About You" is the most beautiful track on the album, a link to Coltrane, who often featured it in his own concerts. Sanders performs it with a profound sensitivity that is deeply affecting but manages to completely avoid sentimentality.

The title tracks, "Love Is Here" and "Love Is Everywhere," fully demonstrate Sanders's stylistic breadth. Danny Mixon's playing on the three-part "Love Is Here" demonstrates an allegiance to the lessons learned from McCoy Tyner. The repetitive "Love Is Everywhere" is complete with enthusiastic audience participation—a moment of communal jazz energy difficult to imagine at an austere Coltrane concert.

Mixon's playing is often inspired, as seen in his introduction to "Pharoah's Blues." Rooted in jazz history, it's a witty, impish prelude that even throws in a reference to Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child." Mixon also provides the pipe organ playing on the first track, creating an ecclesiastical, if slightly wild, mood.

The Coltrane influence is most clearly heard in a truncated version of "The Creator Has A Masterplan," which is greeted with considerable acclaim by the audience.

When contrasted with his uncompromising mid-sixties work with Coltrane, the program in Paris is more inclusive and welcoming. It is likely that after departing Impulse, Sanders felt a new direction was necessary. His musical evolution continued, eventually leading to his acclaimed later work exploring simplicity and minimalism, such as his 2021 collaboration, Promises (Luaka Bop, 2021), with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Charting the journey of a great artist, "Love Is Here" is an important transitional milestone that allows us a clearer view into the complexity and constant search for musical truth that defined the enigma of Pharoah Sanders.