WKCR is pleased to announce a special broadcast celebrating saxophonist Pharoah Sanders on what would be his 85th birthday. The broadcast will preempt all regular jazz slots and more, from 5-8:30 AM and from 12-10 PM.

Pharoah Sanders, born Ferrell Lee Sanders in 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, was one of the foremost figures in free and spiritual jazz—renowned for his transcendent sound that fused the intensity of American jazz with global musical traditions. Mentored by and later collaborating with John Coltrane and Sun Ra (who gave him his nickname), Sanders developed a singular voice on the tenor saxophone defined by expressive overblowing, multiphonics, and deep spiritual conviction. His music—heard across landmark albums like Karma, Thembi, and Wisdom Through Music—embodied a fusion of African, Middle Eastern, and Asian influences, creating a cosmic, philosophical resonance that stretched beyond genre. Even in his final work, the 2021 collaboration Promises with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra, Sanders’ tone retained its ethereal identity and emotional force, affirming his legacy as a visionary who expanded the language and spirit of jazz.