Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra
Promises (2021) Luka Bop
Personnel:
Sam Shepherd – piano, harpsichord, celesta, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, Oberheim 4 voice, Oberheim OB-Xa, Solina String Ensemble, Therevox ET-4.3, EMS Synthi, ARP 2600, Buchla 200e, Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, voice
London Symphony Orchestra – strings
This is an open discussion for anyone to discuss anything about this album/artist.
This one has been getting rave reviews from the likes of Pitchfork and many others. Lots of folks are saying it's best to listen to this one focused, uninterrupted, and with a decent system.
I listened to it last night on Spotify, and now I want to add it to my collection. I listen to CD's and vinyl mostly.
My question is, has anyone compared formats (vinyl vs CD specifically, not streaming / downloads)? Specifically, does the CD sound decent, or is it a lot better on vinyl? (Assuming similar quality chains digital and analog). I would guess that this was recorded digitally, and given it has lots of very quiet sections, I would also guess that a well-mastered CD version would sound better than vinyl, especially given any possible QC issues on the pressing side. However, I'm not able to find much info on the recording and mastering of this one. Has anyone compared directly and can report back?
EDIT: “Promises” reminded me of another album I heard a few years ago, but couldn’t for the life of me remember the name of while writing this post. Having just remembered it now I will post it here as a recommendation. Szun Waves - “New Hymn to Freedom”, a hidden gem of the young London jazz scene. Significantly more lively than Promises, and trading out the symphonic element for live jazz drums, this album brings spiritual, spacey avant-garde jazz and ambient electronics together in a very pleasing way. I highly recommend it for people who enjoyed Promises, or wished it was more lively.
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Promises has been met with high acclaim in the music community. Based on the reaction I’ve seen so far, expect to see this album high on many AOTY lists at the end of this year.
Composed primarily by Floating Points with recording by all three collaborators, this is a fascinating and modern take on “third stream” jazz (the intersection of jazz and classical music).
The album is one long piece separated into nine movements, connected by a central theme that plays throughout the 46-minute runtime. The effect is hypnotic and cinematic, the connecting theme serving as a point to hold these loosely connected ideas together. The album features the variety “promised” by its three collaborators, with some movements focusing on jazz, others strings, and others ambient electronics.
The mood is deeply meditative, channeling the vibe of Pharoah Sanders’ most highly regarded work. I was not familiar with Floating Points prior to hearing this album, but I will be checking out his other work based on how much I enjoyed this recording.
I believe this album has something for everyone interested in jazz, ambient electronic or classical music, or people interested in relaxed, vibey music in general. I recommend this album highly to anyone with these interests, though it’s also very accessible to people new to these styles but interested by this write-up.
I am interested to hear the reactions of anyone on this album. Particularly, where you see it as an evolution of Pharoah Sanders’ spiritual jazz work and as a modern take on the “third stream”.
Looking to purchase Final Symphony 3x LP From Laced Records!! Offering $100 plus shipping, etc! Okay with buying internationally! If anyone has and would be willing to let it go, I would love to purchase it from you! Please & thank you! Would love to work something out!! <3
Based in USA, Louisville, KY!
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra - Promises
Release Date: March 26th
Label: Luaka Bop
Genre: Minimalism, Progressive Electronic, Spiritual Jazz, Chamber Jazz
Singles: n/a
Streams: Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp
Schedule
| Date | Album |
|---|---|
| Tues. | serpentwithfeet - DEACON / Alice Phoebe Lou - Glow / tUnE-yArDs - sketchy. |
| Wed. | Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra - Promises / L'Impératrice - Tako Tsubo / Armand Hammer - Haram |
| Thurs. | Chad VanGaalen - World's Most Stressed Out Gardener / Ben Howard - Collections from the Whiteout / Middle Kids - Today We're the Greatest |
discussions for artists like Xiu Xiu, The Antlers, Death from Above, etc. have been pushed to next week since I underestimated the volume of albums that came out on the 26th and there's not very much out this Friday (4/2). this will allow me time to better organize discussions for next week, while avoiding posting ~14 threads in one week.
this is an unofficial discussion for reactions to the album or whatever your little heart desires. this is for the sake of preserving discussion on as many albums as possible. if there's any releases for the week (or in general) that may be of interest missing from the schedule either PM me or leave a comment somewhere and i'll add it.
