Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points – Promises
80-year-old American jazz saxophonist, Pharoah Sanders, and Floating Points (aka Sam Shepherd) have announced that they will be teaming up with London Symphony Orchestra on a new album. The new album titled ‘Promises’ will be released on March 26 via Luaka Bop.
This will be the first new music released by Floating Points since ‘Crush’ in 2019. For Pharoah Sanders it is the first release since his “lost” live album ‘Live in Paris (1975)’ in 2020.
Instead of a press statement Luaka Bop shared a conversation between Sam and Pharoah to make the announcement. You can read that conversation below.
Sam: Pharoah…
Pharoah: Huh…?
Sam: Were you asleep? I’m sorry…
Pharoah: No no… I was listening… and dreaming… and listening to music in my head…
Sam: Oh wow… sorry.
Pharoah: Many times, people think I might be asleep… but in fact, I am just listening to music in my head. I’m always listening… to the sounds around me… and playing, in my mind… and sometimes I dream.
Sam: What were you dreaming about?
Pharoah: I’m on a ship. In the ocean. Bears coming around smoking cigars. The bears are singing, ‘We have the music. We have what you’re looking for.’
* * *
Pharoah: How you like that take, Sam?
Sam: It’s cool. I think the bit in the middle, where it stops again…I think you can hear…
We were both kind of confused. I like it as well because it sounds like two musicians that are trying to guide each other.
Pharoah: I think that’s it right there. It came out different. It came out good though.
Sam: You happy?
Pharoah: Yeah, I’m cool with it.
Sam: Okay. Yeah, I think your playing is beautiful.
Promises Tracklisting
- Movement 1
- Movement 2
- Movement 3
- Movement 4
- Movement 5
- Movement 6
- Movement 7
- Movement 8
- Movement 9