Some months ago, Floating Points‘ album „Promises“ saw the light of day, and turned into one of my favourite albums of the year (after a solitary performance on Sylt’s Uwe Düne in lockdown). It got a lot of great reviews (which, per se, doesn‘t mean a thing, but some of them seemed to have a very fine look into the music). „Throughout its emotional 46 minutes, Promises stirs feelings that can be hard to name“, thus starts Mark Richardson’s 9.0 pitchfork review. On his blog, Richard Williams had a more ambivalent opinion, and every comment there was more on the sceptical side. New age, old-fashioned, losing the bite etc. I thought, well, there should be at least one who sings the praise when reading Richard’s thoughtful mini-essay and its echoes.
„Now a bit late, to be a vital part of the discussion but anyway: I belong to those who love this album from start to end. In the beginning, I didn‘t even want to listen to it: it seemed just a good marketing idea to bring together a legendary saxophone player, a rising star of electronica, and some elements of new classical music. But finally I listened to it. And was thrilled.
Nothing here is underwhelming in my ears. And I‘m a huge fan of Pharoah Sanders‘ TAUHID, and other Impulse stuff with his name. In the 70‘s John Coltrane‘s Live In Japan was a regular companion, with Pharoah, Alice, Rashied… that said, what these albums from the past and PROMISES have in common: I only want to listen to them as a whole, no bits and pieces, and they send me places. A record for special moods and occasions, for sure. Absolutely sublime, even on a Saturday night.“