Promises (Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra album)

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Promises
Studio album by
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra
Released26 March 2021 (2021-03-26)
Recorded2019–2020
StudioSargent Recorders
(Los Angeles, California)
AIR Studios
(London, England)
GenreMinimalism
Length46:33
LabelLuaka Bop
ProducerFloating Points
Floating Points chronology
Crush
(2019) 		Promises
(2021)
Pharoah Sanders chronology
Live in Paris (1975) (Lost ORTF Recordings)
(2020) 		Promises
(2021)

Promises is a 2021 studio album by the British electronic musician Floating Points, the American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. It was released on 26 March 2021 through the New York label Luaka Bop.[1] It consists of a single 46-minute composition noted for its "dreamlike" quality.[2] The album has received acclaim from music critics,[3] and was shortlisted for the 2021 Mercury Prize.[4] Promises was the final album Sanders released before his death in 2022.[5]

Background and recording[edit]

Sam Shepherd, a British DJ, musician and producer, has produced numerous projects in the field of electronic music under the name Floating Points. The previous Floating Points album, Crush, was released in 2019.[6] For Pharoah Sanders, Promises was the only studio album he released in over a decade,[2] before his death the next year.[7]

Sanders became aware of Shepherd's work in 2015 when he was impressed by the debut Floating Points album Elaenia. Sanders was 75 years old at the time. He later befriended Shepherd, who is 40 years his junior, over lunch and, eventually, proposed that the two of them produce a collaborative album.[2][8] Shepherd composed the music and played numerous electronic and non-electronic instruments. He further enlisted the London Symphony Orchestra to perform arrangements he had written.[9] The album was primarily recorded at Sargent Recorders in Los Angeles, California in the summer of 2019. The strings were recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at AIR Studios in London in the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11] The orchestra included violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.[12]

Composition[edit]

Sam Shepherd (left) and Pharoah Sanders (right)

Promises has been called an ambient record,[13] noted for its "dreamlike" quality.[2] The album consists of a single musical composition written by Sam Shepherd, divided into nine movements. The piece begins with its central motif: a short pattern of notes played by Shepherd on synthesiser, piano and harpsichord. The motif is repeated throughout the piece in variations.[14] It is compounded with a sparse backdrop of synthetic arrangements from Shepherd, particularly synthesiser. The background is also populated by Sanders's atmospheric tenor saxophone passages, which vary in intensity and are positioned sparingly throughout.[15] In the fourth movement, Sanders uses his voice to vocalize wordless passages.[9] Sanders's saxophone concludes its presence at the end of the seventh movement.[14]

String arrangements performed by the London Symphony Orchestra appear in this instrumental conversation between Shepherd and Sanders. In the sixth movement, the strings reach their climax with rising crescendos that overpower the mix; the orchestra then dissipates into the background at the movement's conclusion.[15] Shepherd and Sanders resume their running performance, veering into an "abstract psychedelia" direction. The central motif ultimately fades from the mix during the eighth movement. After a series of false endings, the piece finally concludes with its ninth movement.[2]

The album has been compared to Sanders's 1971 album Black Unity, which similarly consists of a single musical composition.[13] It has been classified as a piece of minimalist composition.[16][17]

Live performance[edit]

On 20 September 2023, Floating Points debuted Promises for its world-premiere performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. A one-time concert, it featured guest artists including Shabaka Hutchings, Four Tet, Caribou, the Los Angeles Studio Orchestra,[18] Kara-Lis Coverdale, Hinako Omori, Jeffrey Makinson, John Escreet, Lara Serafin and Sun Ra Arkestra.[19]

Film[edit]

On 24 April 2021, the film Promises: Through Congress premiered at the Whitney Museum in New York City.[20] Directed by Trevor Tweeten, the film plays the composition in its entirety over views of Julie Mehretu's painting Congress (2003), which was also used in the album's cover art. Sam Shepherd was familiar with the painting, and would "refer" to it while working on the composition. On the film, Shepherd said, "I wanted to perpetuate this idea of being centred in the middle of the painting with its details swirling around you and this film is an extrapolation of that idea, of being in the middle of this perfect storm which only slowly reveals itself."[21]

On 1 November 2022, the film was made available to stream in the United States by The Criterion Channel.[22]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.8/10[23]
Metacritic86/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Clash9/10[8]
Exclaim!9/10[24]
Financial Times[25]
Loud and Quiet10/10[26]
Mojo[27]
musicOMH[28]
The Observer[29]
Pitchfork9.0/10[9]
Uncut7/10[30]

Promises was met with acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 from reviews from professional critics, the album received a score of 86, based on 20 reviews.[3] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[23]

Chiara Wilkinson of The Quietus called Promises a "celebration of sound at its finest and most pure: from the smallest scratch to cathartic crescendos, from spiralling improv to contemplative silences. Every note, whisper, bleep, and shift is significant. It is marvellously multifaceted but never obnoxious: a refreshing, one-of-a-kind conversation between jazz, classical, and electronic."[31] Kitty Empire of The Observer gave the album a perfect score, calling it a "breathtaking" album that transcends the collaborators' usual genres.[29] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork called it "a clear late-career masterpiece" for Sanders.[9] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! wrote that Sanders and Shepherd were "so metaphysically in tune with their latest creation that their respective musical personalities almost disappear into the waves of sound, making Promises a recording that is more of a transcending mind meld than it is a collaboration."[24] John Mulvey of Mojo compared the album to Henryk Górecki's symphonies and to Alice Coltrane's World Galaxy, calling it a "subtly sophisticated piece" that "creates space for Sanders to showcase his tender, measured, lyrical phrasing, abstracted scatting and [...] a brief sputtering blast of free saxophone energy that proves, at 80, his fire remains potent.[27] Stephen Dalton of Uncut called it an "impressive collision of talents" but concluded that it was "frustratingly slight" and overall a minor addition to both artists' discographies.[30]

Year-end lists[edit]

Year-end lists for Promises
Publication List Rank Ref.
BBC Radio 6 Music Albums of the Year 2021
8
[32]
Exclaim! 50 Best Albums of 2021
7
[33]
The Guardian The 50 best albums of 2021
23
[34]
Mojo The 75 Best Albums of 2021
1
[35]
NPR Music The 50 Best Albums of 2021
6
[36]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2021
1
[37]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2021
4
[38]
The Sunday Times 25 best albums of 2021
12
[39]
Time The 10 Best Albums of 2021
1
[40]
Uncut The Top 75 Albums of the Year
2
[41]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Sam Shepherd.

Vinyl edition[edit]

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Promises (Movements 1–5)"18:40
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Promises (Movements 6–9)"27:51

CD and digital edition[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Movement 1"6:24
2."Movement 2"2:31
3."Movement 3"2:32
4."Movement 4"2:31
5."Movement 5"4:25
6."Movement 6"8:50
7."Movement 7"9:28
8."Movement 8"7:22
9."Movement 9"2:30
Total length:46:33

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[42]

Music[edit]

  • Sam Shepherd – piano, harpsichord, celesta, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, Oberheim 4 voice, Oberheim OB-Xa, Solina String Ensemble, Therevox ET-4.3, EMS Synthi, ARP 2600, Buchla 200e, string writing, string arrangements
  • Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, voice
  • London Symphony Orchestra – strings
  • Sally Herbert – LSO conductor
  • Carmine Lauri – LSO lead
  • Olli Cunningham – score preparation
  • Colin Rae – score preparation

Technical[edit]

  • Sam Shepherd – mixing
  • Tim Pennells – assistant mixing
  • John Prestage – recording (AIR)
  • Ashley Andrew-Jones – assistant recording (AIR)
  • Gianluca Massimo – assistant recording (AIR)
  • Jeremy Murphy – engineering (AIR)
  • Sean Cook – engineering (Sargent)
  • Chris Bellman – lacquer cut
  • Yale Evelev – executive production
  • Eric Welles-Nyström – executive production

Artwork[edit]

  • Julie Mehretu – cover artwork
  • Eric Welles-Nyström – photos in Los Angeles
  • Shawn Johnson – photos from London
  • Paul Diddy – design, layout

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart performance for Promises
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] 18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[44] 47
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[45] 53
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[46] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 46
UK Albums (OCC)[48] 6
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[49] 1

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (2021) Position
Australian Jazz and Blues Albums (ARIA)[50] 37

References[edit]

  1. ^ Shaffer, Claire (16 February 2021). "Pharoah Sanders Announces First Album in a Decade With Floating Points". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Schonfeld, Zach (26 March 2021). "Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders' Promises Is a Remarkable Intergenerational Collaboration". Paste. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Promises by Floating Points Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  4. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (9 September 2021). "Mercury Prize 2021: Arlo Parks wins for Collapsed in Sunbeams". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  5. ^ Pareles, Jon (24 September 2022). "Pharoah Sanders, Whose Saxophone Was a Force of Nature, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. ^ Leas, Ryan (16 February 2021). "Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, & The London Symphony Orchestra Announce Collaborative Album". Stereogum. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  7. ^ Corcoran, Nina (24 September 2022). "Pharoah Sanders Dies at 81". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  8. ^ a b Ross, Gemma (25 March 2021). "Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises". Clash. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d Richardson, Mark (26 March 2021). "Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / The London Symphony Orchestra: Promises Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  10. ^ Hawthorn, Carlos (16 March 2021). "Watch a video about Promises, the new album from Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Floating Points And Pharoah Sanders' Promises Featuring The London Symphony Orchestra Is Out Now On Luaka Bop". Shore Fire Media. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Promises - Floating Points, London Symphony Orchestra, Pharoah Sanders". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b Moore, Marcus J. (30 March 2021). "Pharoah Sanders's Grand Return". The Nation. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  14. ^ a b Russonello, Giovanni (25 March 2021). "Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points Meet in the Atmosphere". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  15. ^ a b Brewster, Will (26 March 2021). "Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra, For Those I Love + more: our five favourite records of the week". mixdownmag.com.au. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  16. ^ Miklos, Robert (25 April 2021). "Floating Points with Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - "Promises"". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  17. ^ Dransfield, Scott. "Promises". www.undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  18. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (7 February 2023). "Floating Points Will Perform Pharaoh Sanders Collaboration Promises With Shabaka Hutchings, Four Tet, & Caribou At Hollywood Bowl". Stereogum. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Promises". Hollywood Bowl. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Promises: Through Congress World Premiere". Whitney Museum of American Art. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Promises: Through Congress". Dog Day Press. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  22. ^ "The Criterion Channel's November 2022 Lineup". The Criterion Collection. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Promises by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, The London Symphony Orchestra reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  24. ^ a b Sylvester, Daniel (23 March 2021). "Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders' 'Promises' Is More Mind Meld Than Collaboration". Exclaim!. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  25. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (2 April 2021). "Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the LSO: Promises — rich and immersive". Financial Times. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  26. ^ Walton, Sam (22 March 2021). "Floating Points + Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  27. ^ a b Mulvey, John (May 2021). "Rapturous, harmonious spiritual jazz/electronica/classical hybrid". Mojo. No. 330. p. 87.
  28. ^ Horton, Ross (26 March 2021). "Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises". musicOMH. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  29. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (28 March 2021). "Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, LSO: Promises review – extraordinary". The Observer. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  30. ^ a b Dalton, Stephen (May 2021). "A sublime but slender conversation between avant jazz and orchestral electronica". Uncut. No. 288. p. 30.
  31. ^ Wilkinson, Chiara (26 March 2021). "Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra". The Quietus. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  32. ^ "6 Music's Albums of the Year 2021". canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  33. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2021". Exclaim!. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  34. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (17 December 2021). "The 50 best albums of 2021". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  35. ^ "The 75 Best Albums Of 2021". Mojo. No. 338. January 2022. p. 59.
  36. ^ "NPR Music's 50 Best Albums of 2021 (10-1)". NPR. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  37. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Paste. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  38. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  39. ^ Cairns, Dan; Dean, Jonathan; Helm, Jake (11 December 2021). "25 best albums of 2021". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  40. ^ Chow, Andrew R.; Lang, Cady (4 December 2021). "The 10 Best Albums of 2021". Time. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  41. ^ "The Top 75 Albums Of The Year". Uncut. No. 296. January 2022. p. 63.
  42. ^ Promises (liner notes). Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. Luaka Bop. 2021. LB97.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  43. ^ "Ultratop.be – Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  44. ^ "Ultratop.be – Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  45. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  46. ^ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 19" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  47. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  48. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  49. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  50. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Jazz and Blues Albums 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

External links[edit]

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