Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

Promises

there’s an unpredictability about ‘promises’ which gives this project a distinct edge. there aren’t many creations truly like this one, as it seems to be a one of a kind mix of ambient, orchestral, and jazz music.

all transitions throughout the album are unnoticeable - which is insanely good.

something interesting is that every single movement begins with the same riff or theme. in other words, these artists have the ability to entertainingly vary their presentations ... read more

I have barely reviewed any new music Fridays this year and have not been that impressed with many new albums, but this day was stacked. “Promises” likely takes the crown for being the best release this week. I may like this a little more than the new BCNR.

To be honest, I barely know anything about classical music or what makes a composition great. I’ve only had some experience with third stream and music that has classical elements. However, this album inspires me to venture ... read more

How does a legend of yesterday create a summative body of work with a synth maestro from two generations ahead? Not to mention that a whole orchestra is coupled to their project. On paper, Promises was quite the promise, and the titling of the project was interesting considering it coincided with a Xiu Xiu release date, and their opus with a peculiar album cover was named "A Promise".

I've never really delved into this realm of music a whole lot. Pharaoh Sanders' "Live In ... read more

Today we are graced with very, very few of the great jazz musicians of the past. After the passing of Chick Corea less than two months ago, someone associated with the later years of jazz fusion along side Miles Davis, we're left with only a select few like Herbie Hancock and John McLaughlin to remind us of where jazz once was. This is no great surprise as many of the great jazz releases in history came from the late 50's and early 60's before it faded away from the limelight, replaced by the ... read more

and they still feel all so wasted on myself

Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆
5.4/10

As a fan of unconventional symphony crossovers, with probably my favourite being Metropole Orkest on albums like "What Heat", "Sylva", and SOHN's "Live with the Metropole Orkest", I encountered "Promises" with a hint of hope and curiosity. I'm still not quite sure if I'm satisfied with what I got.

The Floating Points project in collaboration with Pharoah Sanders and The London Symphony Orchestra presents a motif ... read more

What a long ass, incredible ass, artistic ass, beautiful ass, ethereal ass, stunning ass, escapist ass, dreamy ass, extremely well made ass song.

You can do a whole lot with very little and 'Promises' is a fine example of an album that embodies that statement. All that you can find on 'Promises' is a 7 note motif, a cold electronic ambience, Third Stream mastery, and colourful saxophones from a Jazz legend, it's odd that all of this left me entranced for a 45 duration but I well and truly felt mesmerized while listening to it. The way that these elements slowly but surely build onto each other is captivating to me and I find it ... read more

It starts with 7 notes - on repeat - for almost all 45 minutes. There´s time to breath in between the end and the new beginning of these 7 notes.Like listening to waves or the traffic or pigeons on the roof......The moment Pharoah´s saxophone enters a journey unfolds through so many emotional shades of life. He´s is in an universe of his own, searching and delivering the healing beauty of music. This music seems to have nothing to prove, it exists. Sanders - Shepherd - The ... read more

tl;dr: i love it

I may not know all that much about jazz, but I don’t need to to be totally stunned by what all these talented artists are able to achieve together. Keys gently shimmer around the duets between a lush orchestra and Sanders’ tasteful playing in a way doesn’t need to excite you to captivate you. Instead, you feel relaxed, entranced even. Promises is this beautiful vacuum that uses even the spaces between each not to create a feeling of transcendence, ... read more

FIRST LISTEN: Like a UFO landing, Floating Points teams up with Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra to provide us with a collection of movements which shroud themselves in mystery until Pharoah woos us with doses of sultry saxophone that take us away into the night.

Genuinely stunning. Sanders is absolutely incredible all over this thing and the repeating melody is an ear worm for the ages.

Yup, I'm gonna use it for my directorial debut which is gonna take place inside my bedroom. Starring me and my wall.

"Promises is 46 minutes long and is slipped between nine tracks, beginning with the name “Movement.” All of these are interconnected by a string arrangement that is played throughout the record, working as a kind of necessary element to strengthen and materialize the whole dreamy space that the two artists, together with the orchestra, aimed at. Taking advantage of the potential of great violins and cellos, morbidity of grand pianos and oniric synthesizers, Promises delivers ... read more

In the expanse of minimalistic instrumental compositions it is easy to get kinda bored. However, the lovely layers of this project slip and slide over each other to create a relaxing yet compelling jazz odyssey. It's not something that clicks together immediately but before you know it the ambience and brass work have you completely under it's spell. An excellent record.

Beyond all horizons, all figurations of horizon, there is a quickening gyre, a starry storm of matter, where involution becomes revolution—and meets a clarion call. It mutters and croons and sometimes creaks, perhaps an absent presence, or a lurking shadow. It knows how, this night, the wind along the grass has touched the roving clouds. And perhaps, in the end, by turns, it will whisper to you: that these stars are but its million, tumbling eyes...

ALBUM OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING #2

Pussy had me floating.

Could jazz, ambient, electronic and symphony fits well together? the answer is here.

What a beautifully elegant piece of music! Wow.

Each movement is a stunning variation on this same plucky motif. I'm told Pharoah Sanders is some kind of jazz legend and yes, the saxophone work on this album is very pleasant, adding a lot of texture. I've never heard of either Pharoah Sanders or Floating Points before this, but I'm now quite curious about the both of them.

The instrumentation just really completes this album, just wow. It consists of chamber orchestral instruments, infused ... read more

Vaya... qué difícil es para mí opinar de éste, son muchas las sensaciones que me llegan a la vez. Primero los elementos jazz aportados por el virtuosísimo veterano saxofonista Pharoah Sanders, aquél que en sus mejores años llegó a formar parte del magistral cuarteto de Coltrane. Toda esa atmósfera eléctrica minimal de Sam Shepherd, músico británico, conocido de manera artística como Floating Points; del ... read more

The first few movements did little for me, frankly - the seven note motif becomes more of an annoyance than something engrossing to my ears - but as the compositions grow more and more complex, my appreciation for this record grew significantly. Although there is a noticeably stark contrast between the first four movements and those that follow, it is difficult for me to criticise that when those latter stages are as strong as they are. Sanders was a consistent highlight, however; his sax ... read more

Perhaps the greatest third stream project since Sketches of Spain.

In pure contrast with most conventional jazz releases, Promises abides by the kingdom of minimalist aphaeresis, not that of addition. Silence, as an organic element of the artistic edifice, is not defined in ontological nothingness, but instead forms a solid, restless entity which combats the metallic screams of Pharoah, as well as the eerie flourishes of Sam Shepherd. It would be of a great shame to ignore this internal ... read more