Welcome to Love

On release, the considered approach to this series of mostly famous ballads came as a bit of a surprise to some. Others saw Sanders following the road of his mentor, John Coltrane, who had recorded most of these tunes himself. In retrospect, the inside playing of Sanders is less of a surprise, the saxophonist having followed that path regularly since at least the '80s. Its held up well through the years, and while reminiscent of Coltrane, it is still marked with Pharoah's print. The thoroughly professional rhythm section of pianist William Henderson, bassist Stafford James, and drummer Eccleston W. Wainwright takes an intentionally reserved cue from the saxophonist, but each song is infused with a subtle emotional quality that give this set a musical maturity of the highest order.