Sanders was… Read Full Bio ↴Pharoah Sanders (1940-2022) was a U.S. jazz saxophonist.
Sanders was born on 13th October 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, under the name Farrell Sanders. He began his professional career playing tenor saxophone in Oakland, California.
Sanders moved to New York City in 1962. He received his nickname "Pharoah" from Sun Ra, with whom Sanders performed. He came to prominence playing with John Coltrane's band starting in 1965, as Coltrane began experimenting with the music which would soon become known as avant-garde jazz.
Although he developed a slightly different style from Coltrane, Sanders was strongly influenced by their collaboration together. Sanders was also greatly influenced by Coltrane's earlier works (in which Sanders did not collaborate), particularly A Love Supreme. Spiritual elements such as the chanting in A Love Supreme would later show up in many of Sanders' own works. Sanders would also go on to produce much free jazz, being influenced by his free jazz collaborations with Coltrane, particularly Coltrane's most notable free-jazz work, Ascension (1965), as well as their dual-tenor recording Meditations (1965).
In 1968 he participated in Mike Mantler & Carla Bley's JCOA: Jazz Composer's Orchestra Association album Communications featuring Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Larry Coryell and Gato Barbieri. This solo has been referred to by John Zorn and others as the most intense and inspiring free tenor solo ever put to tape.
In the 1970s, Sanders pursued his own recordings and continued to work with the likes of Alice Coltrane on her Journey in Satchidananda album.
In 1994 he travelled to Morocco to record with master Gnawa musician Maleem Mahmoud Ghania, resulting in the Bill Laswell-produced The Trance of Seven Colours. Sanders continued to work with Laswell, Jah Wobble, and others on the albums Message from Home (1996) and Save Our Children (1998).
Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound".
In a Sentimental Mood
Pharoah Sanders Lyrics
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I can see the stars come thru my room
While your loving attitude
Is like a flame that lights the gloom
On the wings of ev'ry kiss
Drift a melody so strange and sweet
In this sentimental bliss you make my
Paradise complete
It's all like a dream to call you mine
My heart's lighter thing
Since you made me this night a thing divine
In A Sentimental Mood
I'm within a world so heavenly
For I never dreamt
That you'd be loving sentimental me
In A Sentimental Mood
I can see the stars come thru my room
While your loving attitude
Is like a flame that lights the gloom
On the wings of ev'ry kiss
Drift a melody so strange and sweet
In this sentimental bliss you make my
Paradise complete
Rose pearls seem to fall
It's all like a dream to call you mine
My heart's lighter thing
Since you made me this night a thing divine
In A Sentimental Mood
I'm within a world so heavenly
For I never dreamt
That you'd be loving sentimental me
The lyrics to Pharoah Sanders's song In A Sentimental Mood depict the feeling of being in love and the overwhelming emotions that come with it. The opening line, "I can see the stars come through my room," suggests a feeling of serenity and tranquility, while the phrase "loving attitude" invokes a feeling of comfort and safety. The image of a flame lighting the gloom represents the power of love to bring light to even the darkest moments.
The line "On the wings of every kiss drift a melody so strange and sweet" is particularly powerful as it describes the physical sensation of being in love, where each kiss feels like a musical note. The use of the word "strange" suggests that the feeling of love is so unfamiliar and surreal that it is literally surprising. The feeling of being complete in paradise is something that Sanders's lyrics portray so well, as though love is the ultimate destination, and the quest of life.
Overall, the lyrics to In A Sentimental Mood speak to the power of love to transform and elevate our lives, filling our hearts with joy and wonder. They evoke a sense of dreamlike euphoria that both embodies and illuminates the experience of falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see the stars come thru my room
As I lay in my room, I am lucky enough to see the beautiful stars shining in the night sky.
While your loving attitude Is like a flame that lights the gloom
Your kind and caring demeanor illuminates the darkness and brings joy to my life.
On the wings of ev'ry kiss Drift a melody so strange and sweet
Every intimate moment we share is associated with a beautiful and unique melody.
In this sentimental bliss you make my Paradise complete
Being with you creates a sense of happiness and contentment, making my life perfect.
Rose pearls seem to fall It's all like a dream to call you mine
I feel incredibly fortunate to call you my own, as it seems almost too good to be true.
My heart's lighter thing Since you made me this night a thing divine
Since meeting you, my heart feels lighter and the night seems more special and divine.
I'm within a world so heavenly For I never dreamt That you'd be loving sentimental me
Being with you feels like being in a heavenly world, and I never imagined that someone as wonderful as you would love someone like me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Songtrust Ave, Cloud9
Written by: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Manny Kurtz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind