Village Of The Pharoahs / Wisdom Through Music Impulse 2-on-1

It arrived when expected.

This Impulse reissue is part of a remastered "twofer" series, combining two original albums by various jazz artists. The Pharoah Sanders reissue reviewed here comprises two 1973 releases, "Village of the Pharoahs" and "Wisdom Through Music". I've literally waited decades for "Village" to appear on CD. Until now, it has been available only as very expensive Japanese or European imports. Sanders assembled a stellar group of musicians for these two albums, including Joe Bonner (piano) Calvin Hill, Cecil McBee and Stanley Clarke (bass), Art Webb, James Branch (flutes) Norman Conners, Jimmy Hopps (drums)and several percussionists, including Mtume and Miles Davis sideman Badal Roy. The style of music is mostly a fusion of jazz, polyrythmic African music, and eastern raga, with much use of exotic flutes, bells, shakers, vocal chants etc. Two tracks that really stand out for me are the extended title track of "Village", which is a very intense piece of trance music, featuring droning tamboura and vocal chanting, and an African folk melody from "Wisdom" called "The Golden Lamp". This latter track is both sad and joyful; a very beautiful tune that will not leave your head. For those seeking a pop music cross-reference, it would be fair to say that fans of 70s era Santana might find this to their liking. Finally, I must comment on the quality of the remastering, which is absolutely stunning. Every cymbal tap, bell, and woodblock can be heard in crystal clarity. No question that this is the definative issue of these two fine albums by this great artist.

I bought this 2-on-1 CD as an experiment to compare with the Limited Edition 24 bit remastered Japanese Mini LPs I own by Pharoah Sanders.There are 11 Japanese 24 bit Limited Edition CD Pharoah Sanders albums. They are out of print and therefore very scarce and super expensive. Now I know why.I listened to this CD on my Professional Audio Playback system. I found it to be very disappointing.The extended dynamic range just isn't there as it is on the Japan 24 bit editions. This recording is compressed mud in comparison.The mastering engineer gave this material a rock music treatment, as my VU meters only modulate within a 10 dB range. This is Jazz music, not the Rolling Stones.I guess I got what I paid for. I do not believe I will be able to stand listening to this CD again.To be clear, both this compilation and the Japan issues are 16 bit CDs, playable in any CD player.The term 24 bit remaster denotes that the original recording was converted to 24 bit format, remixed, and then re-dithered to 16 bit.I had hoped that this CD would have comparable fidelity since it is of more recent manufacture. It is very poor audio quality.I will just have to wait for the next reissue of this material in 24 bit remaster from Japan.The Japanese record companies seem to care more about the music they publish.Pharoah's music is excellent on this compilation, but the percussion absolutely does not snap as it does on the Japan editions. Stanley Clarke plays on this CD.Some of the songs are a bit different from what I expected from Pharoah Sanders' group.The raw tone and fire of Pharoah's playing is lost by the poor mastering of this recording. The piano sounds rather weak.Last week I listened to my 24 bit Japan remaster of Thembi and it blew me away. The 11 Limited 24 bit Japan CDs usually sell for about $100 used.The copyright date for this horrible incompetent compilation is 2011.The Limited Edition 24 bit Pharoah Sanders remasters were issued in 2007 in miniature LP form.Both were published by Universal. What happened?

Hey I knew if it's the Pharoah, it's good, no doubt. I plan to buy more of the Pharoah soon.

I've loved Pharoah from his first ESP release to this very day. He can play so far out your ears implode, or so beautifully you'll cry. ("Kazuko - Peace Child" from "Journey to the One" is simply one of the most gorgeous pieces of music ever on disc ~ check me out on that one, see if you agree.)This double "Impulse" import (all of which are exceptional) features two of his less well known endeavors. How cool! "Wisdom" is quite different with its simple, contagious melodies. "Village" covers more bases and is more diverse -- I think from some different sessions or time periods. (Who says recordings need a unifying them? They're not all novels ~ some are short story collections.)I love both of these albums and am glad to see them available to today's hep cats.

I am biased but this is wonderful. As soon as i heard sanders play with coltrane i loved it and he is just as gd on his oen records.

I have listened to this and the Japanese masters from 2007. Both are excellent so don’t he put off by other reviews. Incidentally there is now a new Japanese 2021 SHM version, which no doubt will be better than both.

Una raccolta di musica per questo mito.

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