Tomoki Sanders (US)

One of the pioneers Spiritual jazz, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, never performed at Tampere Jazz Happening, but would have fit in with the concert programme at any time.
This year, however, one might catch an exceptional glimpse of the man, quite fittingly on a religious holiday. One might even say that it is not possible to get closer to his legacy. Tenor saxophonist Tomoki Sanders (b. 1994), who is performing in Finland and the Nordic countries for the first time, is the direct descendant of Pharoah Sanders (1940–2022), apparently the youngest of eight children.

Born in New York, Tomoki Sanders lived as a teenager for roughly ten years in their mother’s home country, Japan, where they started playing the alto saxophone they had received from their father. Four years later, in 2008, Sanders traded it for a tenor saxophone, which became their main instrument at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Sanders graduated in 2018 and performed jazz standards and their own compositions with two ensembles for their thesis concert.

Tomoki Sanders is coming to Tampere with their own new quartet, whose first album will be released in 2026. So far, their only documented album is Planet Q (2023), which Sanders recorded with another Japanese-American dancer and musician, Kyoko Takenaka. Its electro-acoustic, meditative and minimalist mix of styles might hint at what can be expected on the All Saints’ Day. Or, perhaps it will be their father Pharoah’s composition Tomoki, which was released in 1996 on his album Message From Home.

By sheer coincidence, the drummer on Message From Home was Hamid Drake (b. 1955) who will take the stage at Paja following Tomoki Sanders, almost like a messenger from the past.