Jewels of Thought

Artist: Pharoah Sanders
Label: Grp Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 011105024723
EAN: 0011105024723
ASIN: B0000065KG

Release Date: 1998-03-10

Related Categories:

Avant Garde & Free Jazz

| Jazz | Styles | Music

General

| Jazz | Styles | Music

General

| Pop | Styles | Music

GRP

| Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music

Listmania:

13 MOST IMPORTANT AND EARTH SHATTERING JAZZ ALBUMS EVER! (no order)
Expand Your Mind, Become A True Cosmic Beast
Moving avant-garde and free jazz
The greatest "Out There" (Avant-garde) jazz records
Favorite Jazz 19769(alphabetical order)
Favorite Jazz 1969 (alphabetical order)

Tracks:

Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum Allah
Sun In Aquarius

Similar Items:

Karma
Thembi
Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)
Black Unity
Spirits Known and Unknown

Customer Reviews:

Stunning followup to "Karma"........2005-10-12

1969 was a banner year for Pharoah Sanders-- having already recorded two albums (although "Izipho Zam" would wait several years to see release) and having generated quite a buzz with "Karma" and the stunning "The Creator Has a Masterplan", Sanders was finally establishing himself as separate from John Coltrane-- indeed, with a mentor such as that, establishing your own identity must be extraordinarily difficult.

This was the framework into which Sanders entered the studio for the third time this year, together with vocalist Leon Thomas and pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, who were so crucial to the sound of the last two records, Sanders laid down the two performances that would make up "Jewels of Thought".

The first, "Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum Allah", previously recorded as "Prince of Peace", finds Sanders, Thomas and Smith joined by Cecil McBee on bass and drummers Roy Haynes and Idris Muhammed. The piece, based around a three-beat-one-rest percussion pattern and a dancing, swinging piano line opens with Sanders stating his theme beautifully before deferring to Thomas, who after a brief spoken introduction, sings beautifully in his resonant baritone the song (with a relatively traditional structure) before taking solo space on one of his yodels. Smith solos beautifully and delicately (although the dialog between Haynes and Muhammed steals the show) before Sanders returns for a fierce solo that manages to be both explosive and coherent.

"Sun in Aquarius" is something rather different-- Sanders, Smith and Thomas are again joined by McBee and Muhammad, but with a second bassist (Richard Davis) rather than a second drummer and everyone picking up percussion at one time or another. The piece begins with a drone before evaporating into an explosion of inside-the-piano playing and uncontrollable screeching from Sanders until it finally settles into a two-chord melody similar to 'Hum-Allah'. Sanders blows beautifully, stating theme and soloing around it, Thomas supports in yodel, and the whole thing is just downright fantastic.

It may not receive the recognition that "Karma" does, but "Jewels of Thought" is pretty much its equal. Highly recommended.

Simply a masterpiece!.......2004-08-15

Pharoah Sanders is a wonderfully gifted saxophonist and a man doubly gifted with one of the most powerful voices of the twentieth century in any genre of music. In this album he demonstrates both of these sublime talents in two diverse tracks. Hum-allah is essentially a piece with the feel of sunrise. Beginning with simple clapping and a basic piano riff, layers of percussion and woodwind are slowly intertwined with the simple riff and a delightful tune emerges. The effect is transcendental and is an extremely heatwarming and humane piece, especially when Pharoah begins to sing. Sun in Aquarius is more of a piece for sunset and is a mystical amalgamation of layered percussion and 'free' playing. This is a powerful piece that is hard to take in at first, but with several listenings, one becomes accustomed to its evokations of spirits and nightly creatures. This ends in a tone more similar to the hum-allah. The result is a masterpiece of an album that you will never tire of.

More Spiritual Music (and Yodeling).......2002-10-18

Jewels of Thought is Pharoah's followup to the magnificent Karma. It includes many of the same personnel and develops the vibe that was pioneered on the earlier album. While I don't believe it quite reaches the heights of other Pharoah Impulse albums this is a good release indeed.

Humm Allah is another of Pharoah's extended vamps, this time on three chords instead of two. The track is very much in the Karma vein...to it's detriment I think. You can't help feeling that you've heard everything on the track before, without significant change. And for whatever reason, I find Leon Thomas' vocals harder to take on this track than on Karma. Where the yodelling on Karma sounded fresh, here is just sounds stale and out of place.

The second cut, Sun in Aquarius makes up for the less than inspired first track. It begins with a long free rev-up, featuring dark tone clusters by Lonnie Liston Smith and wild blowing by Pharoah...and when the tune proper finally starts almost 10 minutes into the track, it is as if the sun bursts through the clouds.

So one star less for Humm Allah...it's not a bad track, just not as groundbreaking as others by Pharoah...and Sun in Aquarius is a must listen!

An African Midnight.......2000-05-06

"Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum Allah" is one of my favourite songs. The tenor sax playing is very intense, and Leon Thomas' yodeling is a surprise to everyone who thought this couldn't be found outside of Switzerland. Some other African instruments (percussions and thumb piano) add colours, and "Sun of Aquarius" (especially the beginning) made me think of a place somewhere near Ouagadougou at night. The connection of piano and saxophone outbursts, African instruments and a little bit naive tunes make this album so interesting and intense.

a moving thought.......2000-01-15

hearing MR. sanders tenor going all thru the passages is incredible.this is intense playing.it goes thru so many different shifts&changes.

Music CD:

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

Radioactive ~ Downtown Science

Alone Together/Headkeeper ~ Dave Mason

Eyes Adrift ~ Eyes Adrift

Harry ~ Harry Nilsson

Tattoo of Blood ~ Captain Howdy

Music Until Now

El Poder del Deseo ~ Lujuria

Signify ~ Porcupine Tree

Information to Raise a Nation ~ Rich Nice

Fuzz ~ Sharkey , and Cannibal OX