A Night in Paris: Rediscovering Pharoah Sanders’s Spiritual Peak

Imagine arriving at Studio 104’s Grand Auditorium in the Maison de la Radio on November 17, 1975. The air hums with expectancy as pharaoh-like presence Pharoah Sanders steps onto the stage—not in riotous frenzy, but guided by purpose and calm. Behind him, a compact quartet: Danny Mixon on piano and organ, Calvin Hill on double bass, and Greg Bandy on drums. For an invited Parisian audience of roughly 800, this was no jam session—it was a spiritual journey awaiting ignition.

The concert opens with a chant-like “Love Is Here,” unfolding in two hypnotic parts. Mixon’s vamp pulses steadily, Hill’s bass high on the neck creating pliant propulsion, and Sanders floats above, weaving melody with vocalized yelps that blur the border between instrument and soul. Then, he lets loose briefly in joyous overblowing—not rage, but exhilaration—before easing back into floating calm.

The set continues with the short-lived "Farrell Tune," and a vibrant take on “The Creator Has a Master Plan.” Here, the quartet reimagined the 1969 epic from Karma—compressed yet radiant—grounded by piano figures that shimmer like harp strings, and solos filled with purpose, not excess.

Then comes “I Want to Talk About You,” the Billy Eckstine ballad beloved by John Coltrane. Sanders’s interpretation resonates with reverence—each note a nod to his former sax mentor, yet infused with his own warmth and nuance.

But it’s the grand finale, “Love Is Everywhere,” that transforms the auditorium into a revival meeting. Chant phrases echo like gospel refrains, festival energy charges the air, Sanders’s shrieks summon communal fervor. It’s a celebration—music as communion, love as manifesto. The audience bursts in applause; the revival is complete.

This concert—long relegated to dusty ORTF tape reels—was unearthed decades later by Transversales Disques, cooperatively distilled from the original stereo tapes housed at France’s INA. In 2020, they released it as Live in Paris (1975): Lost ORTF Recordings, mastering with care and housing it in a deluxe gatefold package brimming with photos and liner notes.

Now, on September 5, 2025, Love Is Here – The Complete Paris 1975 ORTF Recordings debuts on 2×180g vinyl (gatefold) and limited‑edition 2CD digipak, including rare photos by Christian Rose and an insightful essay by Kevin Whitehead—making this performance officially accessible in full for the first time.

In 1975, Sanders stood at a creative crossroads. Fresh off his final Impulse! recordings and before his later work under Arista, this quartet captured him in full bloom—less raw than during his days with Coltrane, yet utterly luminous in spiritual intent. Critics hailed the release as a breathtaking reissue: Pitchfork awarded it Best New Reissue, celebrating its radiant joy and cosmic energy. All About Jazz called it a must-have for dedicated collectors, citing the quartet’s short-lived brilliance. Soundohm exalted it as one of Transversales’s most astonishing releases, a polished yet wild document of 1970s jazz at its peak.

This isn’t simply a rerun of familiar tracks—it’s a resurrection. Here, Sanders’s spiritual jazz sparkles with meditative texture one moment and roars with devotional strength the next. From the opening lift of “Love Is Here” through the ecstatic conclusion of “Love Is Everywhere,” what emerges is not just a performance, but a testament: love, music, and transcendence interwoven on a Parisian night—and now given new life on vinyl, CD, and digital.