Journey to the One

Last updated

Journey to the One
Journey to the One.jpg
Studio album by
Released1980
RecordedDecember 1979
StudioSan Francisco, CA
Genre Jazz
Length72:00
Label Theresa TR 108/109
Producer Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders chronology
Love Will Find a Way
(1977)
Journey to the One
(1980)
Beyond a Dream
(1981)

Journey to the One is a double album led by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, recorded in 1979 and released on the Theresa label. [1]

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Jazzwise Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Uncut 7/10 [6]

In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow commented: "As usual, Sanders shifts between spiritual peace and violent outbursts in his tenor solos". [2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings called the music "strong, vibrant jazz," and wrote: "What's quickly apparent is that the gentler, more linear and melodic Sanders is not fundamentally different from the high-octane screamer, just differently modulated." [4]

Writing for Jazzwise , Kevin Le Gendre stated: "Backed by a formidable band, Sanders moves seamlessly from tenderness to aggression all the while creating a compelling narrative over the two discs." [3]

Chris May of All About Jazz included Journey to the One in his list of "Alternative Top Ten Albums," calling it "the album that introduced Sanders to a new generation of dancefloor-loving jazz neophytes." [7]

A writer for Billboard praised the album's "superb playing," and noted: "there is something here that transcends labels." [8]

Track listing

All compositions by Pharoah Sanders except where noted

  1. "Greetings to Idris" – 7:28
  2. "Doktor Pitt" – 12:13
  3. "Kazuko" – 8:07
  4. "After the Rain" (John Coltrane) – 5:36
  5. "Soledad" – 4:56
  6. "You've Got to Have Freedom" – 6:48
  7. "Yemenja" (John Hicks) – 5:35
  8. "It's Easy to Remember" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 6:32
  9. "Think About the One" – 4:15
  10. "Bedria" – 10:30

Personnel

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References

  1. Pharoah Sanders discography accessed January 12, 2015
  2. 1 2 Yanow, Scott. Journey to the One – Review at AllMusic . Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Le Gendre, Kevin. "Pharoah Sanders: Journey To The One". Jazzwise. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 1151.
  5. Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 593.
  6. "How to Buy Pharoah Sanders". Uncut . November 2023. p. 69.
  7. May, Chris (December 10, 2020). "Pharoah Sanders: An Alternative Top Ten Albums To Feed Your Head". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  8. "Billboard's Recommended LPs". Billboard. November 15, 1980. p. 93.