Audio Clarity レコード& CD

Review: A true icon of jazz saxophone, Pharoah Sanders' 1969 album, Karma, is central to the artist's impressive oeuvre. A key player in the growth of the spiritual and free jazz movements through his involvement in John Coltrane's groups of the mid-1960s, Audio Clarity have ensured Sander's treasured work is granted a much-needed re-release. Featuring two gloriously layered twenty minute pieces - 'The Creator Has A Master Plan' on the A-side and 'Colors' on B -, these tracks showcase the distinctive sound that came to define Pharoah Sanders, crafted from an array of inventive technique such as overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic methods, as well as his use of 'sheets of sound' and non-Western percussion. Described by fellow saxophonist Ornette Coleman as "probably the best tenor player in the world", this is undoubtedly a keystone record for any jazz-lover's collection.

Review: The fifth solo album from one of the boldest travellers in jazz, Universal Consciousness was a breakthrough for Alice Coltrane and surely one of the most important LPs in the genre. Casting off limitations and heading into brilliant bursts of dissonance and enlightenment at every turn, it's a visceral listen led by Coltrane herself on harp and organ. There are moments of melodious calm beyond the dissonant drama of tracks like 'Battle At Armageddon' - by comparison 'Oh Allah' has a sweet and tender spirit even if Coltrane's nimble organ playing still borders on the frenetic. The clarity of vision and openness to new possibilities in music are staggering and unmatched, even 50 years on.