Pharoah Sanders

Some beautiful tenor playing by Pharoah Sanders

Pharoah Sanders has always been an emotional and spiritual player, one who has a large tone and a highly expressive style.

This unique film clip has Sanders playing his piece “Kazuko” for ten minutes in an abandoned tunnel near the Golden Gate Bridge in 1982.

While someone else plays a quiet and droning miniature keyboard that is pumped, Sanders creates a beautiful and peaceful mood with his tenor which is accentuated by the echoes of the tunnel.

Twice Sanders shifts to some urgent and repetitive phrases while utilizing circular breathing, serving as a contrast before he returns to the peaceful and atmospheric mood.

The performance is quite haunting.

– Scott Yanow