With his emergence in the John Coltrane Sextet and the release of his 1965 ESP-Disk debut, Pharaoh (reissued as Pharoah’s First), Pharoah Sanders was poised to become a tenor sax icon. Tauhid, the first of 11 albums for Impulse!, marks the beginning of his ascent and the true arrival of his sound. Here and on subsequent releases, he played more than just tenor, varying timbres with multiple winds and, at times, vocal melodies and chants. Nat Bettis’ percussion also contributed a sonic colour that evoked the wider African diaspora. On guitar, making his recording debut, was Sonny Sharrock, a pioneer improviser whose own classic Ask the Ages would prominently feature Sanders in 1991. Pianist Dave Burrell, bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Roger Blank completed the line-up. “Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt” grows from primordial abstraction, with passages of bowed bass and adventurous piccolo, into a steady groove with legit R&B rhythm guitar from Sharrock. The infectious melodic hook, repeated like a mantra and finally chanted by Sanders, typifies the core accessibility of much of Sanders’ work, even with all its hard edges. The same is true of the simple, folklike melody of “Japan”, anchored by Sharrock’s strumming and Sanders’ wordless singing. “Venus”, the middle piece of the closing medley, is another—a singable tune in the midst of otherwise full-intensity free improv.