Customer Reviews

Message From Home

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If there were any need at all for confirmation that Pharoah Sanders is still a very spiritual and forceful player,this cd delivers it.Here,more than ever,the African element dominates through the pieces themselves and the presence of individual African musicians, African instruments and drummers.Though at times one feels the influence of modern pop,the spiritual element clearly dominates. Sanders must do a solo album to crown his fantastic musical production over the years.

Out of the number of collaborations between Pharoah Sanders and Bill Laswell, this 1996 release is the most satisfying. The roots of the rhythms, instruments and vocals are strongly based on African traditions, with Sanders as the wise storyteller who refuses to allow history to be rewritten through the pens and keyboards of the manipulators in the political game, the conquerors in the resource wars and the slave traders who left trails soaked in tears.

Though the bolstered sound is through a variety of musicians and vocalists, the nucleus surrounding Sanders (tenor and soprano sax, flutes, bells, bowls, vocals) is Bernie Worrell (keyboards, vocals), Michael White (violin), William Henderson (acoustic/electric piano, vocals), Foday Musa Suso (vocals, kora, doussn'gouni) and Dominic Kanza (guitar). The programming is by Jeff Bova, who also performs on keyboards.

The central track is Ocean Song (8:49), which emits such sadness due to the soft waves and cool winds being used to destroy societies for unbridled greed; Sanders is calling back to the spirits and allowing them the space to journey through the false chronicles to calmly explain the reality. The song fades into the optimistic Kumba (7:50) and joyous closer Country Mile (6:03). A Sun Ra-flavored opener - Our Roots (Began in Africa) - has a powerful hip-hop groove over the solid 10:21, which propels the opening half of the musical sojourn - Nozipho (9:43) and Tomoki (6:26) - as Laswell is at his studio best; his "Wall of the World Sound" does not overpower the mix.

The message from Sanders is clear...when the eyes are open and ears are prepared to handle the truth.

The tenor saxophonist teams up with producer Bill Laswell to create an album I would best describe as African Jazz. It hits some fine grooves and there is always something interesting going on under the surface.

The concept of this album was to combine Sanders' transcendant T-sax wailing over funk riddims and brilliant African drumming. Bernie Worrell of Parliament fame plays keys and the kora player add some sweetness into the mix and I really dig the vocalizing but somehow the operation does'nt cohere. I think no one can bring the sound from a sax that Sanders can so I still got love for him.

For those who have been waiting for a recording that reiterates the almost mystical emotional power that has typified Pharoah Sanders' work through much of his life, here it is. Welcome home!

Super prolific Producer/bass man Bill Laswell( Material, Bootsy Collins, Last Poets, Bernie Worrell projects) combines his tough urban funk sensibilities with artificially sweetened Afro-pop and lays them under Pharoah's otherwordly saxaphone. The end result of this experiment is a couple of cool songs including the exciting Kora drumming and bass guitar interplay on "Our Roots.." and the oceanic squealing solos that stretch throughout this experiment that fizzles. But it ain't Pharoah or the Brothers who perform on hte African drums faults!

One of the best jazz albums of the 90's with: Sonny Sharrock, Highlife; David Murray, Shakill's Warrior; Ornette Coleman, Tone Dialing & Graham Haynes, Transition.

"Message From Home" was the first of (so far) three albums by Pharoah Sanders produced by Bill Laswell and the first album by Sanders in quite a long time (I think since the '70s) to consist of all originals. It is not, unfortunately, very good.

The album consists largely of synthesizer driven mid-tempo grooves well informed with percussion washes and fiery playing from Sanders. At its best, it proves pleasant enough (vocal chant-and-flute piece "Kumba"), at worst it finds Sanders in drastic opposition to the music (ballad "Nozipho" finds Sanders overblowing and screeching against a soporific backdrop). It's not unlistenable, but its not the kind of record you'll be reaching for.

Sanders and Laswell would succeed much more on their future efforts, this one is really pretty far from essential.