Shukuru

This article is about the album by Pharoah Sanders. For the language, see Xukuru language. For the Tanzanian politician, see Shukuru Kawambwa. For the ethnic group, see Xukuru people.

Shukuru is an album led by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, recorded in 1981 and released on the Theresa label in 1985.^[1]

Shukuru
Studio album by Pharoah Sanders
Released	1985
Recorded	1981 in Berkeley, CA
Genre	Jazz
Length	42:05
Label	Theresa TR 121
Producer	Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders chronology
Heart is a Melody (1982) Shukuru (1985) Africa (1987)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	[4]

In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow commented: "Sanders does a close impression of late-'50s John Coltrane on "Body and Soul" and "Too Young to Go Steady" and shows a bit more heat on the other two numbers. But fans of his most passionate dates are advised to get a sampling of the earlier Impulse recordings instead."^[2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated that Sanders "appears to be rethinking his strategy... turning back to standards-playing for the first time in many years," and noted that "Body and Soul" is "intelligently performed, with few new ideas, but a sympathetic synthesis of much of what has gone on between Byas and Coltrane concentrated into a relatively straightforward melodic response."^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Pharoah Sanders except as indicated

1. "Shukuru" – 5:44
2. "Body and Soul" (Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) – 7:33
3. "Mas in Brooklyn" – 3:41
4. "Sun Song" (Leon Thomas) – 6:04
5. "Too Young to Go Steady" (Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh) – 5:21
6. "Jitu" – 5:43
7. "For Big George" (Sanders, Thomas) – 7:59 Bonus track on CD reissue

Personnel

• Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, vocals
• William Henderson – keyboards
• Ray Drummond – bass
• Idris Muhammad – drums
• Leon Thomas – vocals (tracks 3 & 4)