THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Five years in the making, Promises is a historic collaboration between electronic musician and composer Floating Points and saxophone titan Pharoah Sanders. The project was recorded by Floating Points and Sanders together in Los Angeles. It also features the London Symphony Orchestra, recorded at Air Studios in London, and artwork by the acclaimed artist Julie Mehretu.
Sam Shepherd (Floating Points): Pharoah…
Pharoah Sanders: Huh…?
Sam: Were you asleep? I’m sorry…
Pharoah: No no… I was listening… and dreaming… and listening to music in my head…
Sam: Oh wow… sorry.
Pharoah: Many times, people think I might be asleep… but in fact, I am just listening to music in my head. I’m always listening… to the sounds around me… and playing, in my mind… and sometimes I dream.
Sam: What were you dreaming about?
Pharoah: I’m on a ship. In the ocean. Bears coming around smoking cigars. The bears are singing, ‘We have the music. We have what you’re looking for.’
* * *
Pharoah: How you like that take, Sam?
Sam: It’s cool. I think the bit in the middle, where it stops again…I think you can hear…We were both kind of confused. I like it as well because it sounds like two musicians that are trying to guide each other.
Pharoah: I think that’s it right there. It came out different. It came out good though.
Sam: You happy?
Pharoah: Yeah, I’m cool with it.
Sam: Okay. Yeah, I think your playing is beautiful.”
