Farrell (Pharoah) Sanders is known as a prominent figure in free jazz’s development. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 13, 1940 into a family of musicians
Sanders began playing tenor saxophone in high school. His band director, Jimmy Cannon, introduced him to jazz, and he soon became interim band director when Cannon left.
After high school, Sanders moved to Oakland, California to begin his professional career. He befriended John Coltrane while playing gigs on the West Coast.
In 1961, Sanders moved to New York City, where he began working at a coffee shop called the “Playhouse”. He soon met Sun Ra, who took him under his wing at gave him the new moniker “Pharoah”.