Pharoah

Description

The label Luaka Bop presents the first official reissue of PHAROAH, which has often been bootlegged since its original release in 1977. The origin story of this record is as elusive as Pharoah Sanders was about Pharoah. It was born from a misunderstanding between the artist and India Navigation producer Bob Cummins, and was recorded at a crossroads in his career with a group of musicians so unlikely that they never found themselves in the same room again. There was a guitarist who was also a spiritual guru, an organist who would go on to co-write and produce "The Message," and a classically trained pianist—his wife at the time, Bedria Sanders—who played the harmonium even though she had never seen one. At times ambient and serene, at others funky and modal, PHAROAH radically departs from his earlier work. It would become one of the artist's most cherished records and one of the great works of the 20th century. With the blessing of Pharoah Sanders, this 2LP box set presents the definitive remastered version of PHAROAH, his landmark 1977 record, along with two previously unreleased live performances of his masterpiece "Harvest Time." These exceptional live versions of "Harvest Time"—which Pharoah performed during an intense European tour in the summer of 1977—are included here for the first time. The first pressing of this limited edition box set comes with special embossing and is accompanied by a 24-page booklet containing rarely seen photographs, interviews with many participants, and a conversation with Pharoah himself.