Promises has been getting a ton of buzz this weekend and with good reason because it’s fucking amazing. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this one since it was announced, largely because I had no idea what to expect and wanted to see what would come from a collaboration between some of my favorite musicians – free jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, electronic iconoclast Floating Points and classical masters London Symphony Orchestra.
At its most basic essence, Promises is a symphony broken into nine “Movements.” Like the best classical performances it takes you on a journey. Beginning with a seven note harpsichord melody, this simple refrain is repeated on loop throughout the album and forms a backbone for the virtuosic unraveling that occurs over the next 46 minutes. I don’t want to give too much away because this one is really special, but expect incredible composition, profound crescendos and epic use of space.
Promises is an album that’s years in the making, which definitely shows in terms of scope and ambition; but in the end, due to Floating Points’ and Pharoah Sanders’ masterfulness at their respective crafts, it also somehow comes off as if it was recorded in a single take. Incredible stuff.
