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Pharoah Sanders

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Musician

The Resume

    (October 13, 1940-September 24, 2022)
    Born in Little Rock, Arkansas
    Birth name was Farrell Sanders
    Free jazz/avant-garde tenor saxophonist
    Played with John Coltrane (1965-67)
    Recorded the solo albums ‘Izipho Zam (My Gifts)’ (1969), ‘Karma’ (1969), ‘Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)’ (1970), ‘Black Unity’ (1971), ‘Love In Us All’ (1974), ‘Journey to the One’ (1980), ‘Rejoice’ (1981), ‘A Prayer Before Dawn’ (1987), ‘Welcome to Love’ (1990), ‘Save Our Children’ (1999), and ‘The Creator Has a Master Plan’ (2003)

Why he might be annoying:

    When he first moved to New York City, he slept on the subway and sold his blood for cash (1962).
    He was given the name Pharoah by Sun Ra.
    The New Yorker’s music critic likened his sax solos to ‘elephant shrieks which went on and on and on.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    When the director of his high school band left, he took over until a permanent director could be found despite being a student.
    He incorporated traditional African instruments into his music.
    A reviewer noted of his live performances, ‘His sound can be hypnotic or thunderous, depending on the night.’
    He was named an NEA Jazz Master (2016).
    Ornette Coleman said, ‘If there's anyone who has that quality of freedom, it's Pharoah. He's probably the best tenor player in the world.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 82 Votes: 46.34% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying