Luaka Bop releases expanded reissue of Pharoah Sanders’ classic 1977 album ‘Pharoah’

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Luaka Bop releases expanded reissue of Pharoah Sanders’ classic 1977 album ‘Pharoah’

On September 24, 2022, the entire jazz world and beyond mourned the passing of the late great Pharoah Sanders, who was one of the most influential and groundbreaking artists of our time. Almost a year later, in what has become one of the most highly anticipated reissues of 2023, Luaka Bop has re-released an expanded edition of Pharoah Sanders’ classic 1977 album Pharoah.

Originally released on the iconic India Navigation, the spiritual jazz masterpiece came together in what has been described as a complete misunderstanding between Pharoah and the label’s producer Bob Cummins, and resulted in a session that featured an extremely unique group of musicians, which is so unlikely that they were never all in the same room again. There was the guitarist Tisziji Muñoz, who would go on to become a spiritual guru, the organist Clifton “Jiggs” Chase, who would leave jazz to take a job at Sugar Hill Records, where he would co-write and produce “The Message” for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Bedria Sanders, Pharoah’s wife at the time and a classically trained pianist, who would play the harmonium on this record even though she had never seen a harmonium before. The other members of the album included bassist Steve Neil, drummer Greg Bandy, and percussionist Lawrence Killian.

The recording originally featured three brilliant tracks, including the 20-plus minute all-time classic “Harvest Time”, the soulful “Love Will Find a Way”, which features Pharoah on vocals, and the cosmic spiritual closer “Memories of Edith Johnson”. For this reissue edition, Luaka Bop has unearthed and included two remarkable live renditions of “Harvest Time”.

The well-crafted reissue also includes a 24-page booklet featuring rarely seen photographs, interviews with many of the participants, and a conversation with Pharoah himself.

Overall, as we continue to celebrate the legacy of Pharoah Sanders and the timeless music and impact he brought to this world, Luaka Bop has put together an incredibly packaged release that truly commemorates one of the great works of the 20th century.