5 Ways Pharoah Sanders Blends World Music Into Spiritual Jazz
- He incorporates instruments like the sitar, kalimba, and African drums into his compositions, adding non-Western textures.
- Sanders uses modal scales and drones inspired by Indian ragas, creating a hypnotic, meditative foundation for his solos.
- His melodies often echo Middle Eastern and African folk traditions, giving his music a global, earthy feel.
- He collaborates with percussionists from Latin America and Africa, layering complex rhythms that shift between trance-like and explosive.
- Sanders’ vocal-like saxophone phrasing mimics chanting and field hollers, bridging jazz with spiritual and folk practices from around the world.