Tenor Sax Legend Breathes Fire In SF

From his time as a member of John Coltrane's group in the mid-1960s through his own spiritually minded explorations of world music and jazz as a band leader, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders has always been a restlessly creative spirit. Sanders played with a raw, intense fury that pushed Coltrane to new heights during the last phase of the tenor legend's career.

On his own, Sanders brought elements of African and Indian music together with his alternately raging and meditative sax excursions. Collaborating with the likes of vocalist Leon Thomas, keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Billy Hart, Sanders made a pioneering fusion of world music and jazz that is still influencing musicians today.

Though he often sits back and lets his band take the lead when he performs live, Sanders is still capable of unleashing the torrential flurry of notes that made him famous. For this four-night run at Yoshi's San Francisco location, Sanders and his quartet of longtime pianist William Henderson, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Joe Farnsworth will be joined by legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain for this special four-night engagement. Arguably the most famous living virtuoso on his instrument, Hussain has established himself as the music world's go-to tabla player by collaborating with such iconic players as guitarist John McLaughlin, bass player/producer Bill Laswell, and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.