Pharoah Sanders Announces First Album in a Decade With Floating Points

Jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and electronic producer Floating Points (a.k.a. Sam Shepherd) have announced a new album, Promises, out March 26th via Luaka Bop. The album marks the first that Sanders, 80, has recorded in over a decade.

Sanders and Floating Points recorded the nine-part project with the London Symphony Orchestra, but have not yet shared a single from the piece, instead releasing a brief teaser clip on Tuesday that shows Sanders and Shepherd working together in the studio.

Promises will feature cover art designed by contemporary visual artist Julie Mehretu and the full LP version will be packaged in a gatefold jacket with die-cut shapes. Luaka Bop will also be releasing a limited-edition 180-gram version.

In 2019, Sanders re-recorded his jazz classic “The Creator Has a Master Plan” with organist Joey DeFrancesco and released the new version as a single. Last year, the French label Transversales Disques released Live in Paris (1975), a reissue of Sanders’ concert performances in the city.


Floating Points released his most recent album Crush in 2019. Last year, he remixed the tracks “Sister” and “Never Come Back” from the Caribou album Suddenly. The remixes were then released on a 12-inch vinyl single last July.