The saxophonist Pharoah Sanders was often described as an enigma of jazz, once famously characterized as “a mad wind screeching through the root-cellars of Hell.” That “mad wind” is absent on Love Is Here: The Complete Paris 1975 ORTF Recordings, but the enigma remains. This pivotal album captures Sanders stretching out, away from his Impulse! Records contract, exploring a sound that moves beyond late-stage John Coltrane and places a greater emphasis on tone, melody, and lyrical expression.
Recorded live at Maison de la Radio’s Studio 104 in Paris on November 17, 1975, this set is a crucial document that bridges the gap between his turbulent free-jazz explorations and the meditative tranquility of his later work.