Pharoah Sanders - Village Of The Pharoahs

The eighth album by American saxophonist and composer Pharoah Sanders, Village of the Pharoahs was released in 1973 on the Impulse! label. Sanders plays both tenor and soprano sax and takes some spirited vocals. One of the highlights is "Memories of Lee Morgan," Sanders's heartfelt homage to trumpeter Lee Morgan, who had died the previous year. According to PopMatters writer Sean Murphy, "The results of this album are impressive. This is the work of a confident explorer willing to go anywhere and do anything, and a cursory glance at any of Sanders' unsmiling album covers from this period makes the conditions clear: strap in and come along for the ride because once we start we aren't slowing down. Village of the Pharoahs is a time machine that involves neither physics nor hot tubs, a more than solid outing from Sanders in his prime is nothing to shake a sax at."

Tracklist & Personnel:

SIDE ONE:

1. VILLAGE OF THE PHAROAHS, Part One  — Pharoah Sanders (7:15) 

2. VILLAGE OF THE PHAROAHS, Part Two — Pharoah Sanders (5:00) 

3. VILLAGE OF THE PHAROAHS, Part Three — Pharoah Sanders (4:50) 

*PHAROAH SANDERS, soprano saxophone, vocal, and percussion; SEDATRIUS BROWN, vocal and percussion; JOE BONNER, piano, shakuhashi, flute, and percussion; CALVIN HILL, bass; JIMMY HOPPS, drums; LAWRENCE KILLIAN, congas; KENNETH NASH, sakara ceramic drums, Indian Murdungom drum, and percussion; KYLO KYLO, tamboura and percussion. Recorded September 14, 1973, at Wally Heider Recording, San Francisco. Engineering by Baker Bigsby with Steven Jarvis. 

4. MYTH — Pharoah Sanders (1:44) 

*PHAROAH SANDERS, SEDATRIUS BROWN, LAWRENCE KILLIAN, and JOE BONNER, vocals and percussion; CALVIN HILL, bass; KENNETH NASH, percussion and whistles. Recorded September 14, 1973, at Wally Heider Recording, San Francisco. Engineering by Baker Bigsby with Steven Jarvis.

SIDE TWO:

1. MANSION WORLDS — Pharoah Sanders (9:11) 

PHAROAH SANDERS, soprano saxophone and bells; JOE BONNER, piano; CECIL McBEE and STANLEY CLARK, bass; NORMAN CONNORS, drums: LAWRENCE KILLIAN, congas and percussion; MARVIN PETERSON, percussion. Recorded December 8, 1971, in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Engineering by Rudy Van Gelder. 

2. MEMORIES OF LEE MORGAN — Pharoah Sanders (5:34) 

PHAROAH SANDERS, soprano saxophone and bells; ARTHUR WEBB, flute; JOE BONNER, piano; CECIL McBEE and STANLEY CLARK, bass; NORMAN CONNORS, drums. Recorded November 22, 1972, at A&R Recording Studios, New York City. Engineering by Dixon Van Winkle. 

3. WENT LIKE IT CAME — Pharoah Sanders (5:11) 

PHAROAH SANDERS, tenor saxophone, vocal, and percussion; SEDATRIUS BROWN, vocal and percussion; JOE BONNER, piano; CALVIN HILL, bass; JIMMY HOPPS, drums; LAWRENCE KILLIAN, congas; KENNETH NASH and KYLO KYLO, percussion. Recorded September 14, 1973, at Wally Heider Recording, San Francisco. Engineering by Baker Bigsby with Steven Jarvis.

Produced by Ed Michel 

Mix engineering by Baker Bigsby with Dominic Lumetta and Zac Zenor at The Village Recorder and Westlake Audio, Los Angeles. 

Photography by Philip Melnick 

Album Design by Tim Bryant