Journey to the One

Journey to the One is a double album led by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, recorded in 1979 and released on the Theresa label.^[1]

Journey to the One
Studio album by Pharoah Sanders
Released	1980
Recorded	December 1979
Studio	San Francisco, CA
Genre	Jazz
Length	72:00
Label	Theresa TR 108/109
Producer	Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders chronology
Love Will Find a Way (1977) Journey to the One (1980) Beyond a Dream (1981)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Jazzwise	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	[5]
Uncut	7/10[6]

In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow commented: "As usual, Sanders shifts between spiritual peace and violent outbursts in his tenor solos".^[2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings called the music "strong, vibrant jazz," and wrote: "What's quickly apparent is that the gentler, more linear and melodic Sanders is not fundamentally different from the high-octane screamer, just differently modulated."^[4]

Writing for Jazzwise, Kevin Le Gendre stated: "Backed by a formidable band, Sanders moves seamlessly from tenderness to aggression all the while creating a compelling narrative over the two discs."^[3]

Chris May of All About Jazz included Journey to the One in his list of "Alternative Top Ten Albums," calling it "the album that introduced Sanders to a new generation of dancefloor-loving jazz neophytes."^[7]

A writer for Billboard praised the album's "superb playing," and noted: "there is something here that transcends labels."^[8]

Track listing

All compositions by Pharoah Sanders except where noted

1. "Greetings to Idris" – 7:28
2. "Doktor Pitt" – 12:13
3. "Kazuko" – 8:07
4. "After the Rain" (John Coltrane) – 5:36
5. "Soledad" – 4:56
6. "You've Got to Have Freedom" – 6:48
7. "Yemenja" (John Hicks) – 5:35
8. "It's Easy to Remember" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 6:32
9. "Think About the One" – 4:15
10. "Bedria" – 10:30

Personnel

• Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, tambura, sleigh bells
• Eddie Henderson – flugelhorn (tracks 2 & 6)
• John Hicks – piano (tracks 1,2 6–8 & 10)
• Joe Bonner – piano, electric piano (track 4 & 9)
• Bedria Sanders – harmonium (track 5)
• Paul Arslanian – harmonium, wind chimes (track 3)
• Mark Isham – synthesizer (track 9)
• James Pomerantz – sitar (track 5)
• Yoko Ito Gates – koto (track 3)
• Chris Hayes (track 10), Carl Lockett (tracks 1,7 & 9) – guitar
• Ray Drummond (tracks 1,2, 6–8 & 10), Joy Julks (track 9) – bass
• Idris Muhammad (tracks 1,2, 6–8 & 10), Randy Merritt (track 9) – drums
• Phil Ford – tabla (track 5)
• Babatunde Lea – shekere, congas (track 9)
• Dee Dee Dickerson, Bobby McFerrin, Vicki Randle, Ngoh Spencer – vocals (tracks 6 & 9)
• Claudette Allen – vocals (track 9)