While you could argue that tenor saxist Pharoah Sanders got better each year, as his sound slowly evolved from inspirations from John Coltrane to Ben Webster, this 1980 concert in Germany has him still with the fire of the former and a hint of the latter’s warmth. He’s supported and teamed up with the modal masters John Hicks/p, Curtis Lundy/b and Idris Muhammad/dr, with the songs ranging from a “concise” 8 minutes to opuses of 20+. The team is intense from the get go, with Muhammad creating an avalanche with his solos around Sanders reacing for the sky on “You Gotta Have Freedom”. Lundy and Hicks stretch out on the Trane-inspired “It’s Easy To Remember” while a volcanic overflow of lava takes place on”Dr. Pitt” with Muhammad supplying the magma. Hicks gets dark and reflective on “Greetings to Idris” while Sanders cries out on the shortened read of “The Creator Has A Master Plan”. Spontaneous combustions.