Sonny Simmons, Mixolydis (Blue Marge 29, 2002)

A great CD that has somehow escaped the blogosphere so far. It's in the spirit of the two awesome Quest recordings "Ancient Ritual" and "American Jungle," if a bit mellower and more melodic at times. As you might already know, in the early sixties Simmons went to NYC and was one of the most promising avante garde players. In 1965, he moved back to the San Francisco east bay area and married trumpeter Barbara Donald, a double whammy that pretty much ended his musical career. He spent much of the 70s and 80s destitute and occasionally playing on the streets. He reemerged in 1994 with the killer Ancient Ritual, and his playing since has never been better. This one was recorded July 27 & 28, 2001 at Studio Sysmo, Paris, France.

1. Echoes Of Eric Dolphy (Sonny Simmons) [5:21]
2. Mixolydis (Sonny Simmons) [8:04]
3. The Lady From Trinidad * (Sonny Simmons) [8:14]
4. Benedictina (Sonny Simmons) [6:00]
5. Reverend Church ** (Sonny Simmons) [8:21]
6. Blues In The Pocket (John Hicks) [5:37]
7. The Voodoo Stomp (Sonny Simmons) [8:08]
8. The Promise (John Coltrane) [9:00]

Sonny Simmons : alto saxophone, English horn
Eddie Henderson : trumpet
John Hicks : piano
Curtis Lundy : bass
Victor Lewis : drums

producer : Gérard Terronès