Happy Birthday Cecil McBee!

Celebrating the 91st birthday of bass boss Cecil McBee with a short doc, an interview and a couple of classic performances. 

Drummer Billy Hart releases live quartet recording "Multidirectional"

It's legendary drummer Billy Hart's 85th birthday today and we're celebrating the news of his latest release, Multidirectional recorded live – out now!

Here's the scoop...

Jazz drumming legend and NEA Jazz Master Billy Hart discusses his long-running quartet's first live album, Multidirectional (Smoke Sessions Recordings). This video includes live performances by the quartet, which features Mark Turner, Ethan Iverson, and Ben Street. Selections include "Sonnet for Stevie" (Turner), "Song for Balkis" (Hart), "Amethyst" (Hart), "Giant Steps" (Coltrane), and "Showdown" (Iverson). 

Legendary drummer Billy Hart credits the great Rashied Ali for introducing him to the term “multidirectional” – a descriptor for the elusive, daring approach to the kit that Hart and others of his generation had developed intuitively in response to the increasing freedom and exploration of the era’s jazz experimentation.

“Rashied Ali told me that ‘multidirectional’ was what John Coltrane called this freeform feel, where conventional structure was abandoned and the rhythms could cut in any direction,” he writes in OCEANS OF TIME: THE MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BILLY HART, his captivating new memoir. Hart had begun to explore that style under the influence of Coltrane’s pioneering work, first venturing into the terrain while playing with Pharoah Sanders at the famed East Village club Slugs’.

More than half a century later, Hart has refined and evolved the approach into a singular percussive voice of unparalleled elegance, finesse and intricacy – as exemplified on MULTIDIRECTIONAL, the first live recording by his longstanding quartet featuring tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, pianist Ethan Iverson, and bassist Ben Street.

The album’s release arrives just in time for Hart’s 85th birthday, and vividly reveals that the beloved drummer still has surprises to reveal. No less an authority than Iverson, not just a collaborator for more than 25 years but a respected scholar of the music’s history, marvels at hearing Hart veer into this audacious direction.

“A year or two into playing with Billy and his quartet,” Iverson recalls to writer Nate Chinen in his liner notes, “I went over to rehearse, and he sat down at his drums and said: ‘I want some music in this band that’s like John Coltrane with Rashied Ali.’ Then he started playing in the style, which I don’t think I’ve heard Billy ever play in another setting. He was always swinging so hard, doing what he does at the highest level every time—but I didn’t catch a situation with Quest, or any other group live where I would have heard a taste of that.”

Not that Hart is a stranger to adapting his distinctive voice to multifarious approaches. Iverson mentions Quest, the post-bop quartet in which he joined Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach; add to that another venerated collective, the hard bop all-star group The Cookers, not to mention Herbie Hancock’s pioneering Mwandishi sextet – the context in which Hart earned his sobriquet Jabali, Swahili for “rock.”

Then there’s the long history of work with many of jazz’s greatest artists, a list that ranges from Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner and Jimmy Smith to Bill Frisell, Charles Lloyd, Branford Marsalis and Joe Lovano, among countless others. In 2022 he took his well-deserved place among the ranks of NEA Jazz Masters.

For more than 20 years now, Hart’s stellar quartet has added inestimably to that legacy. Their studio albums have documented the development of the band’s scintillating chemistry and an intense yet spacious group sound. But something further bursts forth when they take the stage together, a kaleidoscopic searching and bristling energy that has finally been captured, like lightning in a bottle, in this exhilarating live recording from the stage of Smoke Jazz Club.

As Hart describes, “Everybody in the band has had a direction in mind since I met them, and there were times when we got to certain points but never got a chance to record it. We did make records, but we weren’t playing in front of an audience.”

The album is an ideal showcase for Hart’s quartet, the members of which are a generation younger than the drummer/bandleader but all acclaimed veterans in their own right. “I know I’ve changed a lot as a result of playing with Billy in this band,” Turner says. “In terms of our experience level, we’ve come closer to Billy, if that’s not too egotistical to say. We’re 20 years older. We’ve all improved. We’ve gotten better as musicians, more comfortable in our own skin.”

Hart inaugurates the set on mallets, establishing an almost reverent tone on “Song for Balkis,” a tribute to his daughter that also opened the quartet’s 2012 ECM release ALL OUR REASONS. The song turns tumultuous – and, yes, multidirectional – as Turner unfurls a probing solo. Trane’s influence becomes explicit on an unusually restrained version of “Giant Steps,” which gains intensity and velocity as the familiar tune progresses from Iverson’s tentative, agitated solo intro.

Turner’s “Sonnet for Stevie” is propelled by Hart’s broad, unhurried swing foundation, Iverson’s solo seeming to hang suspended from Street’s sturdy basslines. Hart reaches back to the title track of a 1993 album for “Amethyst,” offering perhaps the date’s most striking example of the band’s fluid multidirectionality – never quite settling into a recognizable tempo or rhythm, yet maintaining a determined momentum and cohesiveness throughout. They conclude with Iverson’s “Showdown,” an introspective ballad that opened the quartet’s most recent studio outing, Just, highlighted by Turner’s eloquent melodicism over the leader’s sensitive, nuanced touch.

Deep into a storied career, Billy Hart remarkably continues to discover new paths to traverse. MULTIDIRECTIONAL refers to the rhythmic unpredictability displayed on this essential album, of course, but there’s a philosophy suggested by the word that defines Jabali’s restless curiosity – striking out along varied and divergent currents, unpredictable but always possessed by a resolute sense of direction. 

Get a copy of the Billy Hart Quartet's new album Multidirectional via Bandcamp right here. Note: the 180 gram vinyl pressing is limited to 500 copies. Check out the release trailer video and an interview following the credits below. 

Credits: 

Recorded Live at SMOKE Jazz Club, NYC December 7–10, 2023.

Produced by Paul Stache; Production Assisted by Damon Smith; Recorded by Paul Stache & Richard Bernard; Mixed by Chris Allen; Mastered by Chris Allen & Tyler McDiarmid; Photography by Jimmy & Dena Katz and Dave Kaufman; Liner Notes by Nate Chinen. 

Remembering Pharoah Sanders on his birthday

Remembering saxophone great Pharoah Sanders on his birthday with some brilliant performance footage and interviews. 

Tune in for Pharoah Sanders 85th Birthday Broadcast Oct. 13 on WKCR-FM

New York's WKCR-FM is celebrating saxophonist Pharoah Sanders' 85th Birthday with a special broadcast on Monday, Oct 13th. 

Here's the scoop...

WKCR is pleased to announce a special broadcast celebrating saxophonist Pharoah Sanders on what would be his 85th birthday, October 13, 2025. The broadcast will preempt all regular jazz slots and more, from 5-8:30 AM and from 12-10 PM.

Pharoah Sanders, born Ferrell Lee Sanders in 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, was one of the foremost figures in free and spiritual jazz—renowned for his transcendent sound that fused the intensity of American jazz with global musical traditions. Mentored by and later collaborating with John Coltrane and Sun Ra (who gave him his nickname), Sanders developed a singular voice on the tenor saxophone defined by expressive overblowing, multiphonics, and deep spiritual conviction. His music—heard across landmark albums like Karma, Thembi, and Wisdom Through Music—embodied a fusion of African, Middle Eastern, and Asian influences, creating a cosmic, philosophical resonance that stretched beyond genre. Even in his final work, the 2021 collaboration Promises with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra, Sanders’ tone retained its ethereal identity and emotional force, affirming his legacy as a visionary who expanded the language and spirit of jazz.

Listen in New York at WKCR 89.5 FM.. or check it out here. 

Happy Birthday Franklin Kiermyer!

Celebrating the birthday of Montreal-born drummer Franklin Kiermyer with his stellar Pharoah Sanders collaboration and more. 

Luaka Bop releasing expanded 2LP reissue of Pharoah Sanders' Pharoah album

The deluxe 2LP box set reissue of Pharoah Sanders' classic Pharoah album includes two 1977 performances of "Harvest Time" 

Here's the scoop...

On September 15th, Luaka Bop is reissuing Pharoah Sanders' Pharoah as a deluxe, embossed 2 LP box set. Alongside a remastered version of PHAROAH, his seminal record from 1977, are two previously unreleased live performances of his masterpiece, “Harvest Time." Includes a 24-page booklet with rarely seen photographs and ephemera, as well as interviews with many of the participants and a conversation with Pharoah himself. 

Why pay $1,629.46 US for an original copy on India Navigation?

Pre-order a copy of Pharoah via Bandcamp right here.  Check out "Harvest Time" below. 

Check out guitar great Sonny Sharrock tearing it up in 1993

Here's 3 minutes of Sonny Sharrock shredding with Paul Doty & Wayne Morris and some rare audio with Pharoah Sanders in 1993. 

Midweek Mixdown: Nat Birchall salutes Pharoah Sanders

Nat Birchall put together a special Sounds From The Ancient Archive mix in honour of the late Pharoah Sanders. Listen below.

Check out Nat Birchall's two-hour selection of Pharoah Sanders performances via Mixcloud right here.

TRACK LIST

1. Let Us Go Into the House of The Lord - Pharoah Sanders Quintet - Live in Nice 1971 (Blank label LP) 

2. Crescent - John Coltrane Quintet - (Second Night In Tokyo 3LP 1966 Impulse) 

3. African Cookbook - Randy Weston (Dewey Redman - 1st tenor solo) (The Spirits of our Ancestors - Verve 2CD 1992) 

4. Cocktail Piece (First variation, take 2) - Don Cherry Quintet (ESP 4CD recorded 1963) 

5. Prayer Blues - Randy Weston (Kephera - Verve CD 1998) 

6. There Is The Bomb - Don Cherry Quartet (Where Is Brooklyn - Blue Note LP 1966) 

7. Light At The Edge Of the World - Pharoah Sanders Quartet (Ballads With Love - Venus LP 1997) 

8. Naima - John Coltrane Quintet (Live at the Village Vanguard Again - Impulse LP 1966) 

9. This One's For Trane - Phil Ranelin (Collected Works - Wild Hive 3LP 2019) 

10. Solo saxophone - Pharoah Sanders - recorded at Ornette Coleman's funeral 2015 (Celebrate Ornette - multi LP/CD/DVD - Song X Records 2016) 

11. In The Key of the Universe - Joey DeFrancesco (In The Key of the Universe 2LP - Mack Avenue 2019) 

12. Japan - Pharoah Sanders (Tauhid - Impulse LP 1967) 

13. Crescent - Pharoah Sanders Quartet (Crescent With Love - Venus LP 1998)

R.I.P. jazz great Pharoah Sanders, 1940-2022

Legendary jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders passed away peacefully at his L.A. home this morning. He'll be greatly missed. 

Happy Birthday Carlos Garnett!

Celebrating the 83rd birthday of saxophone great Carlos Garnett with a couple of his spiritual jazz gems. 

Happy Birthday Sonny Sharrock!

Remembering guitar great Sonny Sharrock, who died in '94, with a couple of vintage performance clips.

Pharoah Sanders joins Floating Points & LSO for Promises

Check out a few tracks from the new Pharoah Sanders & Floating Points collaborative album Promises below. 

Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders' new Promises album is out now. Get it from your favourite platform right here.

Happy 80th Birthday Pharoah Sanders!

Celebrating Pharoah's 80th birthday with a performance of "You've Got To Have Freedom" and a French clip from '68.

Reflecting on legendary Brooklyn jazz venue The East

Recently, Juju's James "Plunky" Branch returned to the site of The East, once a thriving jazz venue and cultural center in Bed-Stuy founded in 1969.

Mtume at The East. 

That time Pharoah Sanders performed in Nice, 1971

Here's an 87 second video of Pharoah Sanders performance at the Festival International de Jazz de Nice followed by the audio of the entire 1971 show.

July 18th, 1971 tracklist:
1 The Creator Has A Masterplan 00:00
2 Jameela 21:35
3 Let Us Go in the House of the Lord 27:32

Pharoah Sanders (ts, as, ss)
Lonnie Liston Smith (p)
Cecil McBee (b)
Jimmy Hopps (dr)
Lawrence Killian (perc)

Franklin Kiermyer's stellar collaboration with Pharoah Sanders gets recirculated

To mark the 25th anniversary of Solomon's Daughter, Dot Time is reissuing the album with three unreleased tracks. 

Originally released in 1994 to rave reviews, Solomon’s Daughter (due February 8th) finds hard-hitting drummer Franklin Kiermyer and legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders coming together to fuse their distinct techniques in the course of tracks that allow them to showcase their spirituality and virtuosity on their respective trademark instruments. Mr. Sanders hearkens back to his powerful time with John Coltrane especially on the songs “If I Die Before I Wake” and “Three Jewels” (listen below). This release continued the legacy of the last few years of John Coltrane’s classic quartet without copying the music, echoing Love Supreme, Sun Ship & First Meditations.  The 25th Anniversary reissue has been re-mastered by Dot Time Legends producer Jerry Roche and includes three never before released tracks from the original sessions filled with power and passion. Check the Dot Time Records site for more info.

Franklin Kiermyer – drums
Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone
John Esposito – piano
Drew Gress – accoustic bass

Solomon's Daughter track listing:
1. If I Die Before I Wake (14:52)
2. Three Jewels (13:57)
3. Akdemus (7:42)
4. Peace On Earth (5:56)
5. Solomon’s Daughter (9:30)
6. Birds Of The Nile (7:17)
7. Esra’elawi (6:48)*
8. Ibn Al-Hakim (3:47)*
9. I Pray My Soul To Take (2:45)*
* Previously unreleased

Happy Birthday Pharoah Sanders!

Celebrating Pharoah's 78th birthday with a French performance clip from 1968 with Lonnie Liston Smith.

That time Pharoah Sanders and Sonny Sharrock tore up Frankfurt

Here's an audio clip of the full concert at the Deutsches Jazz Festival on November 1, 1992.

Happy Birthday Pharoah Sanders!

Celebrating Little Rock's birthday with his 1980 version of "You've Got To Have Freedom" off Journey To The One.

Happy Birthday Pharoah Sanders!

Toasting the tenor titan on his 76th birthday with a typically stellar 2011 performance at London's Jazz Café.