Horn on a Hill

Sonny Simmons was an alto saxophonist who achieved some success within the free jazz scene of the '60s and early '70s, largely due to the fluid intensity he brought to almost every single solo he played. In an age where tenor saxophonists tended to get the most recognition, Simmons excelled playing the alto and managed to play with some big names, including Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison.

Sadly, the approval of his peers did not translate into a viable living, leading him to disappear for 20 years. He occasionally contributed to soul and funk recordings and even spent some time playing for change on street corners. Miraculously, he made a comeback in the 1990s, and even in his mid-seventies Simmons continues to record and perform.

Without knowing a thing about this guy, I bought Simmons' first LP for ESP-Disk - 1966's Staying On the Watch - for a sweet price at Fred's Records in St. John's. The cover was what initially attracted me to buying this album, a stark and powerful image of the man and his horn. He looks like he's the king of New York, or at the least the coolest motherfucker standing on a rock with a saxophone ever.

"Metamorphosis" is a blazing album opener, starting with a theme based around a fierce flurry of notes that's followed by several sustained blasting bleeps. Then we get to Sonny's solo, a complex series of howls, screeches and atonal blasts. It's a mind blowing performance, marvelously intense.

Simmons' wife Barbara Donald (a rarity being a female jazz instrumentalist who doesn't play piano) is up next. Her playing here is expressive and spirited, reaching for notes high and low while keeping up with the brisk pace set by the rhythm section. Bassist Teddy Smith takes a fine bowed solo to set-up a flashy showcase for pianist John Hicks, who vamps with hard-bop flair and even gets in some intricate licks that recall Cecil Taylor's improvisations.

Then it's a quick return to the opening theme and that's all she wrote. Eleven minutes of great free jazz from an era that produced lots of it.

Sonny Simmons - Metamorphosis