FLOATING POINTS PHAROAH SANDERS & THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - PROMISES

Sam: Pharoah…

Pharoah: Huh…?
Sam: Were you asleep? I’m sorry…
Pharoah: No no… I was listening… and dreaming… and listening to music
in my head…
Sam: Oh wow… sorry.
Pharoah: Many times, people think I might be asleep… but in fact, I am just
listening to music in my head. I’m always listening… to the sounds around
me… and playing, in my mind… and sometimes I dream.
Sam: What were you dreaming about?
Pharoah: I’m on a ship. In the ocean. Bears coming around smoking cigars.
The bears are singing, ‘We have the music. We have what you’re looking for.’
* * *
Pharoah: How you like that take, Sam?
Sam: It’s cool. I think the bit in the middle, where it stops again…I think
you can hear…We were both kind of confused. I like it as well because it
sounds like two musicians that are trying to guide each other.
Pharoah: I think that’s it right there. It came out different. It came out good
though.
Sam: You happy?
Pharoah: Yeah, I’m cool with it.
Sam: Okay. Yeah, I think your playing is beautiful.

Five years in the making, Promises is an extraordinary, collaborative album by the electronic giant Floating Points and saxophone titan Pharoah Sanders. The album features the London Symphony Orchestra and cover art by the acclaimed American artist, Julie Mehretu.