All songs written by Pharoah Sanders except "Body And Soul" (Green/Heyman/
An '80s session reuniting a great team from the '70s--vocalist Leon Thomas and tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. They don't take things as far outside as they did then, but still soar and glide while pianist William Henderson, bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Idris Muhammad fill in underneath them. ~ Ron Wynn, AMG
The biggest surprise of all is the final track - a slow dirge based on the spiritual "going home" -worth...
All songs written by Pharoah Sanders except "Body And Soul" (Green/Heyman/
An '80s session reuniting a great team from the '70s--vocalist Leon Thomas and tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. They don't take things as far outside as they did then, but still soar and glide while pianist William Henderson, bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Idris Muhammad fill in underneath them. ~ Ron Wynn, AMG
The biggest surprise of all is the final track - a slow dirge based on the spiritual "going home" -worth the price just for this one cut - completely different to anything i have heard Pharoah record before - and i have over 30 albums under his leadership. I recommend you buy this cd wholeheartedly ~ A Customer
One of those albums you'd like to love more than you actually do, Pharoah Sanders' "Shukuru" is noteworthy as being the album that reunited Sanders with vocalist Leon Thomas, who sang on some of Sanders' most indearing and powerful compositions-- among them the legendary "The Creator Has a Masterplan".
Thomas actually only joins the band (William Henderson on keyboard, Ray Drummond on bass and Idris Muhammed on drums) on two tracks-- "Mas in Brooklyn (Highlife)" and "Sun Song". The former gets a full calyso reading complete with steel drum sounds and chanted vocals traded between Sanders and Thomas. It's a lot of fun, but by and large, throwaway. The latter is one of the true gems on the album-- a pretty ballad that serves as both a launching point for Sanders' best balladry and Thomas' vocal, with the latter soaring in his upper register wordlessly between verses intoned in his trademark baritone. It's by and large simply stunning. ~ Michael Stack
Capsule Info: Wiliam Henderson's early '80s novelty synthesized strings and voices are weird and dated, but it's great to hear Leon Thomas yodelling again.
Includes liner notes by Amiri Baraka.
Personnel: Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone, vocals), Leon Thomas (vocals), William Henderson (Kurzweil 250), Ray Drummond (bass), Idris Muhammad (drums).
Release Date 1985 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
