"The Creator Has A Master Plan" is indeed my favorite piece of Pharoah-tonia.
The little buzz about musically deficient artists over in the Lester sub reminded me of numerous occasions of hearing "straight" jazz guys berating Pharoah as an incompetant charletan, but then, that was pretty much the party-line for the "straights" regarding all avantgarde cats, especially back in the 60's & 70's when I was "coming up" so to speak. One made oneself a candidate for becoming ostracized by even admitting you dug "that stuff". It was looked upon as kind of a disease. These cats really had to endure some hardcore crapola to be able to do their music back then, but I suppose it hasn't changed a whole heck of a lot. This music is still quite an "acquired taste".

Dan-

You don't know the half of it(this is NOT a putdown)! We fully understand your passion,Dan! Pharoah DID have a "master plan",and you could always hear it in his music. Yes,for the most part,it was an "acquired taste",but the validity was tangible!

Over the years I've noticed that folks also wondered who Charles Lloyd was,too! Some 25+ years ago Charles replaced a "sold-out" bill of Country Joe & The Fish,The Steve Miller Band and other major 'rock' acts,when there was a significant problem in "delivery" of said acts. This 'replacement' band was largely unknown(and even less appreciated) to most people here in Anchorage,though I sought and bought tickets which I had NOT previously owned for the 'original' headliners! Keith Jarrett had just left the band,but that wasn't a huge problem,actually. Jim Zitro was drumming, Charles was "on top" of things,including taking the time to speak to our half-asleep son in my arms after the concert. Very cool! This concert was a milestone event,with intensely fine musical 'wrappings'.

Sanders really embraced and extended Coltrane's spiritual impulses on Karma and Leon Thomas' vocals are very effective. I also dig Charles Lloyd and think he's pretty spiritual, too. These are guys who really play from the heart, from deep inside themselves.

There was another older cat I used to play with in the 70's whose ranted on & on about how Miles & Trane "went totally insane in the 60's" and we'd be lectured obcessively about how "sick & evil" that "s**t" is, & anyone who listened to & liked it "even more f**ked up than those sorryassed Motherf**kers got."
But his favorite rant was re: Mr. Lloyd...."couldn't play s**t if his life depended on it. Why the hell does he get so much attention?! Gawdamm people are sick to listen to that s**t!!!" And he could go on & on.
While playing with this guy was an education in playing mainstream, it was also a valuable lesson on the need to maintain open-minded mindedness & open heartedness. Cat was so angry & malcontented & resentful...phew, a great lesson in where NOT to let your consciousness go!

Dan,

I think anyone getting that emotional over the issue of a musician getting attention or acclaim must himself be a musician. I don't know if it always stems from jealousy, but it's a little incongruent to get angry about what somebody else is doing unless you have some kind of personal attachment to the situation.

In any case, I reserve my hostility for Kenneth Gorelick and the new pseudo-musical approach taken by 90's producers known as "sampling". Not the kind where obscure sounds are pieced into something new, but the kind where a 25 year old funk hit is lifted in toto and grafted over a drum machine, looped and rapped over. If you want to piss me off, explain to me how we've fallen so far into cultural apathy as to consider that a valid artistic statement.

Opening a festering wound,
Larry