Sonny Simmons
Huey "Sonny" Simmons (August 4, 1933 – April 6, 2021) was an American jazz musician.
Biography
Simmons was born on August 4, 1933 in Sicily Island, Louisiana. He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the English horn. (Along ...
. It was recorded at Sierra Sound Studios in Berkeley, California on February 10, 1969, and was released on LP later that year by
Arhoolie Records
Arhoolie Records is an American small independent record label run by Chris Strachwitz and is based in El Cerrito, California, United States (it is actually located in Richmond Annex but has an El Cerrito postal address.) The label was founded by ...
. On the album, Simmons is joined by trumpeter
Barbara Donald
Barbara Kay Donald (September 2, 1942 – March 23, 2013) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
Life and career
She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Donald began playing trumpet aged eight in Minnesota, and her family r ...
, bassist and percussionist
Juma Sultan
Juma Sultan (born April 13, 1942) is a jazz musician, most often recording as a percussionist or bass player. He may be best known for his appearance at the Woodstock festival of 1969 at Bethel, New York, playing with Jimi Hendrix. He currently p ...
, drummer
Paul Smith Paul Smith or Paul Smith's may refer to:
Music
* Paul Smith (composer) (1906–1985), American film music composer
* Paul Smith (pianist) (1922–2013), Los Angeles jazz pianist
* Paul Smith (rock vocalist) (born 1979), vocalist and songwriter of ...
, and conga player Voodoo Bembe. In 2000, Arhoolie reissued the album on CD with four additional tracks recorded live on November 6, 1970, at the Newman Center in Berkeley, California, with Simmons in a quartet that features violinist Michael White, bassist Kenny Jenkins, and drummer
Eddie Marshall
Edwin "Eddie" Marshall (April 13, 1938 – September 7, 2011Obituary ) was an American .
Reception
Regarding the studio tracks,
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
's Thom Jurek wrote: "Simmons and Donald... create a such a dominant frontline there is little else for the rhythm section to do but find a way to create rhythm and harmony from the interplay of the horns." He described the band on the live tracks as "stellar," and stated that audience members were "present to history in the making."
The authors of ''
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...
'' called the album "a document of its time," and praised Simmons' solos for their "fuming energy and directness."
Duck Baker
Richard Royall "Duck" Baker IV (born July 30, 1949) is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist who plays in a variety of styles: jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk, and Irish and Scottish music. He has written many instruction books for guitar ...
of ''
JazzTimes
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of grow ...
'' stated that the music "dates better than a lot of free jazz of the time," and noted that "the original writing is quite effective."
Writing for ''
All About Jazz
''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'', Derek Taylor stated that the album "finds Simmons and his partners in positively peak form," and commented: "this opportune offering makes readily apparent Simmons is a sizable talent... as an affordable vantage point into the man's early career this generous disc really cannot be bested." ''AAJs Mark Corroto remarked: "Like Coleman and John Coltrane, Simmons' bands were pushing the envelope of freedom. The energy, pulsing from thirty-one years ago, is exhilarating... Simmons was propelling a creative sound beyond its safe boundaries."
Trumpeter
Taylor Ho Bynum
Taylor Ho Bynum (born 1975) is a musician, composer, educator and writer. His main instrument is the cornet, but he also plays numerous similar instruments, including flugelhorn and trumpet.
Early life
Bynum was born in BaltimoreWilmoth, Charli" ...
wrote: "Donald and Simmons' musical connection was near perfection; they navigated complex melodies with the telepathic ease of Bird and Diz or Coleman and Cherry, breathing and phrasing as one."
Track listing
"Divine Magnet" composed by Michael White. Remaining tracks composed by Sonny Simmons. Track timings not provided.
# "Coltrane In Paradise"
# "The Prober"
# "Manhattan Egos"
# "Seven Dances Of Salami"
# "Visions"
# "Beings of Light" (bonus track on CD reissue)
# "Purple Rays" (bonus track on CD reissue)
# "Divine Magnet" (bonus track on CD reissue)
# "The Beauty of Ibis" (bonus track on CD reissue)
Personnel
*
Sonny Simmons
Huey "Sonny" Simmons (August 4, 1933 – April 6, 2021) was an American jazz musician.
Biography
Simmons was born on August 4, 1933 in Sicily Island, Louisiana. He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the English horn. (Along ...
– alto saxophone, English horn
*
Barbara Donald
Barbara Kay Donald (September 2, 1942 – March 23, 2013) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
Life and career
She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Donald began playing trumpet aged eight in Minnesota, and her family r ...
– trumpet (tracks 1 to 5)
* Michael White – violin (tracks 6 to 9)
*
Juma Sultan
Juma Sultan (born April 13, 1942) is a jazz musician, most often recording as a percussionist or bass player. He may be best known for his appearance at the Woodstock festival of 1969 at Bethel, New York, playing with Jimi Hendrix. He currently p ...
– bass, congas (tracks 1 to 5)
* Kenny Jenkins – bass (tracks 6 to 9)
*
Paul Smith Paul Smith or Paul Smith's may refer to:
Music
* Paul Smith (composer) (1906–1985), American film music composer
* Paul Smith (pianist) (1922–2013), Los Angeles jazz pianist
* Paul Smith (rock vocalist) (born 1979), vocalist and songwriter of ...
– drums (tracks 1 to 5)
*
Eddie Marshall
Edwin "Eddie" Marshall (April 13, 1938 – September 7, 2011Obituary ) was an American – drums (tracks 6 to 9)
* Voodoo Bembe – congas (track 4)