Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I was repeatedly reprimanded during a stimulating set by Pharoah Sanders at Blues Alley in 2015. I disregarded the prohibition on photos and my unruly enthusiasm was deemed disruptive by the staff of the refined Washington D.C. venue. I was simply unable to contain my excitement at seeing the cosmic jazz legend for the first time. The 80-year-old saxophonist continues to thrill. Promises, a new collaboration with Sam Shepherd, the British electronic musician who operates as Floating Points, is no less essential than Sanders’ work of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Rather than replicating those seminal grooves, Sanders soars through ethereal clouds of bells, bleeps and hums created by Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra. Vastly superior to the majority of pointy-headed third-stream endeavors, the celestial Promises is a launch pad for astral projections. Blues Alley’s bouncers no longer need to dread my return. Promises has me permanently blissed out.