Recorded on November 24, 1970
Years ago, when I was building my web site dedicated to Bobby Hutcherson, I decided to collect all of his recordings. I already had most of his recordings as a leader, but there were many sideman appearances that I'd never heard before. As I dug into Hutcherson's sideman work, two albums stood out. Both featured Hutcherson with saxophonist Sonny Simmons. The first was Eric Dolphy's Iron Man (Douglas, 1968) and the second was Firebirds (Contemporary, 1968), an album that Simmons co-led with Prince Lasha. Like Eric Dolphy (and Prince Lasha as well), Sonny Simmons seemed to play free jazz that was informed by the tradition. Simmons' playing could be metaphysical, cosmic, and "out" -- but it could also be lyrical and gentle. Even when Simmons was surrounded by heavyweights, his sound was always distinctive and personal.
Lester Koenig's Contemporary Records released Burning Spirits in 1971. Originally released as a double-album, the music is ambitious in scope. It features a terrific band. Along with Simmons' alto, tenor and English horn, the dominant voices are trumpeter Barbara Donald (Simmons' wife at the time) and bassists Richard Davis and Cecil McBee, two young giants of the instrument. Michael White and Lonnie Liston Smith add their voices on selected tracks.
My favorite cut on the album is "Things and Beings." It's beautiful and strange and cosmic and gentle. It seems to come from the same place as Alban Berg's music. It's contradictory: It's otherworldly and it's familiar. That sums up all that I love about Sonny Simmons' music.
To hear "Things and Beings," advance to the 13:47 mark in the video below:
Sadly, after making Burning Spirits, Simmons had fewer opportunities to perform or record his music. In the 1980s, his life took an even more dramatic downward turn. After divorcing Barbara Donald, Simmons spent much of the decade living the life of a homeless person, busking to get by. Eventually, he got back on his feet and returned to performing. Two albums, Ancient Ritual (1994) and American Jungle (1997), both released on Quincy Jones' Qwest Records, helped Simmons re-establish his career. Simmons continues to perform to this day, often in the company of fellow-saxophonist Michael Marcus in the band they co-lead, The Cosmosamatics.
Thanks for the heads-up on Simmons. Haven't thought about him for an age. I have his two albums with Prince Lasha and Ancient Ritual (1994). Talk about an "under the radar" jazzman. I checked Wikipedia and Simmons has recorded close to 20 albums since 1990. To put that in perspective, it's more than Kenny Garrett has put out in the same time! So I just downloaded another one - American Jungle - from 1997 that sounds fantastic.
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