WKCR is happy to announce a very special broadcast: our first full-day birthday broadcast in celebration of the life of American saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, who would have made 84 revolutions around the sun this year. Broadcast on FM and HD radio and online for 24 hours on Sunday, October 13, 2023, this broadcast will preempt all other regularly scheduled programs.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1940, Pharoah Sanders was a towering musical figure who possessed a celestial, larger-than-life sound, and paired that with a determined approach to the music he made. Although heavily influenced by his immersion and contributions to the jazz and free jazz scene of the 60s, Pharoah early on found his own sound. At the center of this sound is a strong resolve that places expression as the most essential quality of his art. From 1964’s “Pharoah’s First” to Sanders’ 2021 collaboration with Floating Points and The London Symphony Orchestra on “Promises,” his style and sound evolved dramatically. Yet, the tenor saxophone's voice on both albums vibrates with an identity that is undeniably Pharoah Sanders. This isn’t just a testament to his originality, but also to the heavily rooted spiritual aspect of his music—which stirs something in us every time we resonate in the sounds of Pharoah's music.

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