Wisdom Through Music cover

Wisdom Through Music

Released

This 1973 album is a surprisingly compact effort, with five tracks in just 31 minutes, and a focus on vocals. Sanders’ hoarse call-and-response with the rest of the band has a gospel-ish flair, and the grooves are somewhat churchy, but the African percussion and occasional ululations keep things international. He’s rarely heard on sax here; this is ensemble music, meditative (“Selflessness” begins with long chants) and droney, augmented by the presence of two percussionists — Mtume and Badal Roy — who were also working with Miles Davis at the time. It may seem like a lesser effort if you’re just after fiery sax solos, but if embraced as a genuine statement of belief, an attempt to really put the “spiritual” in spiritual jazz, it’s a rewarding listen.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Coltrane Jazz cover

Coltrane Jazz

John Coltrane
Blood Moon cover

Blood Moon

Ingrid Laubrock, Kris Davis
Lebroba cover

Lebroba

Bill Frisell, Wadada Leo Smith, Andrew Cyrille
Omega cover

Omega

Immanuel Wilkins
The Meeting cover

The Meeting

Art Ensemble of Chicago
Live In New York cover

Live In New York

Roswell Rudd, Archie Shepp