Pharoah Sanders - Shukuru

180g audiophile vinyl reissue, remastering by Cicely Baston at Air Mastering, London. Pharoah Sanders: tenor saxophone, vocalsLeon Thomas: vocalsWilliam Henderson: keyboardsRay Drummond: bassIdris Muhammad: drumsRecorded & Mixed at Live Oak Studio 1981Phaoah Sanders' Shukuru is noteworthy as being the album that reunited Sanders with vocalist Leon Thomas, who sang on some of Sanders' most endearing and powerful compositions-- among them the legendary The Creator Has a Masterplan.Thomas only joins the band on two tracks - Mas in Brooklyn (Highlife) and Sun Song. The former gets a full calypso reading complete with steel drum sounds and chanted vocals traded between Sanders and Thomas. It's a lot of fun, but by and large, throwaway. The latter is one of the true gems on the album - a pretty ballad that serves as both a launching point for Sanders' best balladry and Thomas' vocal, with the latter soaring in his upper register wordlessly between verses intoned in his trademark baritone. It's by and large simply stunning.The opener Shukuru and closing funereal piece For Big George are spared this as the use of synths of them are far more tasteful (although one questions Sanders' choice to intone his wife's name over the former's smokey lines, but that's another story). - Vine VoiceShukuru is another compelling album from a true jazz visionary. There are nuanced layers and motifs on every track. The re-mastered sound mix is excellent with balanced stereo separation. - **** Robbie Gerson, Audiophile Audition