Sonny Simmons

Huey " Sonny " Simmons ( * August 4, 1933 in Sicily Iceland, Louisiana) is an American jazz musician ( alto and tenor saxophone, English horn ).

Simmons is the son of a pastor, who played drums, and a choir singer. He started seven years to learn English horn, then moved to 16 under the influence of Charlie Parker's music for alto saxophone. He first worked in rhythm and blues bands before he played with Sonny Stitt, Cal Tjader, or Dexter Gordon. In 1961, he gained experience in the band of Charles Mingus (eg together with Rahsaan Roland Kirk ). In the next few years, he contributed to recordings by Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison, and Eric Dolphy. In 1962 he co-founded with Prince Lasha a band that was known with Bobby Hutcherson, Gary Peacock and Charles Moffett senior as " Firebirds ". Then his wife, trumpeter Barbara Donald, was his main musical partner. In addition, he also played in the orchestra of Sam Rivers, with Pharoah Sanders and Marvin Gaye. Temporary withdrawals followed by the scene with their children and the activities in better nutritive occupations after the divorce in 1979, the album " Backwoods Suite" (1982). Only in 1992 but experienced Simmons a comeback. He played in the following years at festivals and took on more boards with Reggie Workman, Cindy Blackman and Horace Tapscott. The early 2000s he founded with James Carter, William Parker, Jay Rosen, Karen Borca and Michael Marcus, the band The Cosmonautics, with the two albums he recorded for the label Boxholder.