CD REVIEW ARTIST: PHAROAH SANDERS TITLE: IN THE BEGINNING – 1963-1964 LABEL: ESP DISK 4069 TUNES: Disc 1: Interview (Sanders): Coming To New York Don Cherry Quintet : Cocktail Piece (first variation ) take 1 / Cocktail Piece (first variation ) take 2 / Cherry's Dilemma / Remembrance (first variation ) / Medley: Thelonious Monk compositions : Light Blue / Coming On The Hudson / Bye Ya / Ruby My Dear / Interview (Cherry): Ornette 's Influence Pts . 1 & 2. Paul Bley Quartet : Interview (Bley): 1960s Avant Garde / Generous 1 (take 1) / Generous 1 (take 2) / Walking Woman (take 1) / Walking Woman (take 2) / Ictus / After Session Conversation. Disc 2: Interview (Sanders): Musicians He's Performed With Pt. 1 / Interview (Stollman ) Meeting Pharoah Sanders. Pharoah Sanders Quintet : Seven By Seven / Bether A/ Interview (Sanders) Musicians He's Performed With Pt. 2 Disc 3: Interview (Sanders): Meeting Sun Ra Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra : Dawn Over Israel / The Shadow World / The Second Stop Is Jupiter / Discipline #9 / We Travel The Spaceways. Disc 4: Interview (Sun Ra): Being Neglected As An Artist Sun Ra And HIs Solar Arkestra : Gods On Safari / The Shadow World / Rocket #9 / The Voice Of Pan Pt. 1 / Dawn Over Israel / Space Mates / The Voice Of Pan Pt. 2 / The Talking Drum / Conversation With Saturn / Pathway To The Outer Known . Interview (Ra) : Meeting John Coltrane / Interview (Sanders): John Coltrane / Interview (Sanders): Playing At Slug 's - Max Gordon / Interview (Sanders): Closing Comments total time (all 4 discs) 218:16. PERSONNEL: (disc 1?) Pharoah Sanders - ts; Don Cherry - tpt; Joe Scianni - p; David Izenzon - b; J.C. Moses - d. 1/3/63, New York City (disc 2) Pharoah Sanders - ts; Stan Foster - tpt; Jane Getz - p; William Bennett - b; Marvin Patillo - d. 9/27/64, New York City. Sun Ra - p, celeste; Sanders - ts; Black Harold (Harold McMurray) - flute, log drums; Al Evans - tpt; Teddy Nance - tbn; Marshall Allen - as, flt, oboe (uncredited), perc; Pat Patrick - bars; Alan Silva - b; Ronnie Boykins - b; Clifford Jarvis - d; Jimmhi Johnson - d; Art Jenkins - space voice. 12/30/64, New York City. To many, Pharaoh Sanders seemed to spring forth fully formed, braying like a beast in Coltrane's 1965 quintet. His high intensity solos (which seemed to inspire Coltrane to respond in kind) polarized many listeners. Some thought he was an unschooled, untutored charlatan who had somehow infiltrated his way into the Coltrane camp. However, Sanders, who was born in Little Rock, moved to San Francisco in the early 60s (where he initially met Coltrane) and had an apprenticeship on that scene before moving to New York to continue his education. This 4 CD set covers that apprenticeship in the two years (1963-64) before he became a member of the John Coltrane quintet. The first two dates on this set are the most revelatory. First is a Don Cherry session from January, 1963. It's an impressive quintet with piano legend Joseph Scianni, then-Ornette Coleman bass player (and another legend) David Izenzon and drummer J.C. Moses. Most interesting are the two takes of "Cocktail Piece." The first is a rather scrappy run through with some effective playing by the leader. But on the second take where Cherry has re-arranged the legato intro to highlight Sanders take on the Coltrane ballad sound, it refocuses the piece into a truly successful take. Sanders' solo here bristles with energy and he sounds much more comfortable. On "Cherry's Dilemma", an energetic piece, during his solo Sanders seems ready to break into his stratospheric mode but is cut short by Cherry who goes into a second solo. The Monk medley is a casual affair with Cherry at the piano, picking out a few themes with bass and drums and Sanders filtering in for the last 30 seconds or so. The second session by the Paul Bley Quartet is a complete surprise. Bley had mentioned in an interview that he had recorded a session with Sanders independently, given it to ESP owner Bernard Stollman and never heard it again. It was presumed lost. So, its surfacing here for the first time is a pleasant surprise. Once again, Izenzon is on bass and Paul Motian on drums. (He was Bley's drummer at the time.) The five tracks consist of three different Carla Bley compositions with alternate takes of two of them. What's surprising is how well Sanders plays her compositions. These are dense, knotty themes and are not easy to play. But Sanders clearly grasps what is to be done. And it's during these tracks where one can hear Sanders individuality attempting to break through when he solos. Paul Bley, ever the deferential leader, allows Sanders space to move but it seems as if Motian isn't quite the drummer needed to push Sanders. But, that said, these are tracks worth hearing and it's good that they've finally been issued. They're integral pieces in the puzzle of Sanders' development. Sanders' first date as a leader was an inauspicious release on ESP. It was among that label's first batch of issues. It was originally titled The Pharoah Sanders Quintet, then re-released as Pharoah's First when he hit it big in the late 60s. While it presents him as a thoughtful, probing sax player (and clearly an acolyte of Coltrane), this is a rather underthought session. Basically it consists of two compositions, each running roughly 25 minutes, with theme–set of solos–theme format. Nothing much to distinguish it but the solos. This is not the Sanders who, less than a year later would record his galvanizing solo on Ascension. It is the Sanders, however, who is still developing and in that sense it's quite fascinating to hear. Sanders' first solo on "Seven By Seven" is actually quite good with all manner of harmonics and overtones peppering it. But the sidemen, while adequate, are not up to challenging Sanders and, in the process, lifting the music. Marvin Patillo is a pretty good drummer and keeps up the drive throughout. And Getz is a good piano player who seems somewhere in between Bud Powell and McCoy Tyner. But clearly they are all following Sanders' lead and he's not quite at a leader's level yet. And that ultimately is what drags this date down. The final two discs of this set are documents of Sanders' brief tenure as a member of Sun Ra's Arkestra, taken from concerts at Judson Hall in the last two days of 1964. Sanders, who was still not well-known was brought in to replace John Gilmore, one of the anchors of Ra’s band. (He had left to join Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.) Unfortunately Sanders doesn't do a whole lot but when he can be heard (as on both versions of "Shadow World"), it sounds like the Pharoah Sanders that joined Coltrane's group six months later. While these recordings may be short on Pharoah Sanders fireworks, there are some pretty radical things here nonetheless. The version of "Dawn Over Israel" from 12/30, has an extended interlude after the dual flute theme statement that finds Marshall Allen playing an (uncredited) oboe solo while the Arkestra makes unusual extraneous sounds. It's a pretty amazing sequence in that it seems to anticipate the AACM's focus on little instruments by a few years. (Not to mention John Zorn's focus duck calls by a couple of decades). "Shadow World" is preceded by an unaccompanied celeste solo. There's also a rare recording of "Discipline #9" which sounds like a radical reworking of an Ellington "blue" piece. Even the idea of sets of linked tunes was pretty unique for 1964. A nice facet to this set are the interviews (with Cherry, Bley, Sun Ra as well as Sanders) that open and close each disc, although it would have been nice for producer Michael Anderson to provide some more details (dates, locations, circumstances) in the liner notes regarding them. As far as the music, for those who are looking for the Pharoah Sanders of Karma, Thembi or even Tauhid, this set might be a disappointment. But for those looking for his development into that player (and in the process, hearing some great Don Cherry, Paul Bley and Sun Ra), this set is well-worth investigating. Robert Iannapollo CD review from Volume 38, No. 4: October issue For more information, go to www.cadencemagazine.com Copyright 2012 Cadence Media, LCC All rights reserved.