THE AZAR LAWRENCE EXPERIENCE

Ars Nova Workshop presents a tribute to the late jazz icon Pharoah Sanders featuring the renowned saxophonist Azar Lawrence, at Solar Myth on March 24.

Saxophone titan Pharoah Sanders was one of the last icons of his generation when he passed in the fall of 2022. He was handpicked by John Coltrane to play on Trane’s late-career masterpieces, and thereafter released a string of expansive recordings under his own name for the Impulse! label, which have been cited as a pivotal influence by everyone from Prince to Marvin Gaye to Iggy Pop. Over a career that spanned fifty years, Pharaoh recorded some of the most revered — and controversial — albums in jazz history, embracing a wild, anarchic sound that would reverberate across genres for decades to come. Often by his side in his later years was fellow saxophonist Azar Lawrence. A master in his own right, Lawrence is a living link to the music’s history, having played with giants including Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw. He’ll pay tribute to Sanders’ powerful and spiritual music with this special performance.