Pharoah Sanders (1940–2022) was a jazz saxophonist, known as the godfather of spiritual jazz.
Growing up in Arkansas, as a young man he moved to the west coast and to New York shortly after. Playing in John Coltrane’s groups and on several of their iconic recordings throughout the 1960s, Sanders was instrumental in developing the style of free jazz. His work was seen as a continuation of Coltrane’s work after his death. He released several collaborations with Alice Coltrane, as well as influential solo recordings with a decidedly spiritual edge. Sanders went on playing and performing until his death at age 82.
