Pharoah Sanders, Thembi (side A)

The cover images of Pharoah Sanders on 1971's Thembi emphasize his Afro-centric identity (and his excellent hat collection), but the album presents a more diverse cross-section of Sanders's vision.  While the individual tracks are consistently strong, Thembi lacks any unifying vision or coherent sequence.  The Afro-centric personality of the cover permeates two introspective horn driven tunes, "Morning Prayer" and the memorable title track, and also the complex percussion layering of "Bailophone Dance", with Sanders on bailophone.  The other three tracks do not fit neatly into this unifying narrative, but also have nothing in common with each other.  "Red, Black & Green" stands out to me — its heavy wailing reminds me in many ways of Peter Brötzmann's records of this time, though Clifford Jarvis's drumming provides a jazzy background pulse rather than leaping into the foreground.  Combining two different sessions, with different drummers and instrumentation, further emphasizes Thembi's disjointedness.  The recording has a modern brightness which flatters the performances and material without sounding illogical or exaggerated.