ESP-Disk’ LIVE @ The Bowery Poetry Club
10pm
Sonny Simmons Quartet
Roy Campbell Jr. – trumpets
Chad Taylor – drums
Tom Abbs – bass
11pm
GUNNAR
Anders Nilsson – guitar
Reid Taylor – bass
Madhu Siddappa – drums
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery New York, NY 10012
Between Houston and Bleecker
F train to 2nd Ave or 6 train to Bleecker
“Altoist Sonny Simmons made a strong impression in the 1960s as one of the most promising avant-garde players who recorded with Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy. By the mid-’70s Simmons largely dropped out of music and the altoist was forgotten for nearly 20 years. In 1994, Sonny Simmons (who had apparently played on the streets and been scuffling) suddenly re-emerged in peak form and as adventurous as ever, recording a brilliant trio album (Ancient Ritual) for Qwest/Warner Bros. that earned him long overdue recognition and launched the beginning of his second career.” – Scott Yanow
Press for Roy Campbell:
“Roy Campbell, Jr. [is] an inventive trumpeter whose playing has a stream-of-consciousness logic and an unassumingly rich and confident sound.”
- Gary Giddins, The Village Voice
Press for Anders Nilsson:
“Swedish Sultry Swagger” - Thurston Moore
“Nilsson’s shimmering axe evokes a dimensional warp.” -Signal to Noise
“Nilsson has a very personal style and a tone unlike any American jazz player I can think of.” -All About Jazz
About Sonny Simmons
Though not a die-hard avant-gardist (like Ornette Coleman and Jimmy Lyons, other alto sax luminaries from the same generation, he sticks in his own provocative way to the tradition), he was then a leading figure of the Free Jazz scene in NYC with his wife Barbara Donald, cutting legendary records for ESP in 1966, Staying On The Watch and Music From The Spheres. Back in California, he made an acclaimed appearance at the Jazz Symposyum in Berkeley (1969). He became an underground hero with the likes of Bert Wilson, James Zitro, Smiley Winters and producer James Bronson Jr. The period also provided landmark records for Arhoolie (Manhattan Egos) and Contemporary (Firebirds, Rumasuma, Burning Spirits), which met international response. Then – nothing. Sonny Simmons suffered a spectacular eclipse during the 70’s and the 80’s. With the West Coast no longer providing work, family and personal problems, his career collapsed. He ended up in the streets. Playing kept him alive and he managed to maintain working groups throughout most of this “lost periode”, producing hours of incredible music (which are still to be released : check out the rare documented traces of this activity, Backwoods Suite, Global Jungle and the solo tour-de-force, Jewels, to make sure his musical powers remained untouched).
Accordingly, his come-back had to be spectacular, too. He began to build a local reputation again. Word-of-mouth, helping souls and hard work made the rest : by the time he went to Europe (1994), he had an album on Warner, Ancient Ritual. Actually, the title he had first choosen says it all : Reincarnation. He made a strong impression in festivals (Montreal, Moers, Willisau, Helsinki…), on record (American Jungle, Warner, Judgement Day, CIMP), appeared at the Irridium, at the Knitting Factory. But somehow, he felt he had to bring forth something different. After a period of lesser activity (while living in France, he kept on touring, notably with Oliver Lake and Sunny Murray, but didn’t record), he re-emerged in 2000 with richer, brilliant concepts.
With his alter-ego Michael Marcus, he founded the Cosmosamatics, a group with which he enjoys the greatest of achievements. Hugely popular in Europe, where they tour frequently, they have recorded eight albums (most notably for Boxholder, Soul Note and Not Two), building one of the most distinctive sound nowadays. Besides, he led varied projects of his own, ranging from a classy quintet date for Marge, Mixolydis, to a mammoth sextet with Anthony Braxton and another group, the Renegade Society, both resurrecting the “ol’ free jazz” feel. Many gems pave his new way : two other solo tapestres (Out Into The Andromeda, Fourth Dimension), a magical evocation of the powers of eastern musical idioms (Tales Of The Ancient East), an up-to-date association with noise wizzard Jeff Shurdut (The Future Is Ancient), and an atmospheric masterpiece full of strings, scorching alto lines and sunsets (The Traveller). The latter association with Jazzaway records proved very fruitful, since four lush records surfaced since 2006, I’ll See You When You Get There, Live At Haugesund, Last Man Standing and Atomic Symphony (a massive symphonic works featuring 75 musicians!). – His current projects as of 2009 include of course the Cosmosamatics, a duet with Bobby Few (True Wind) that was featured at the Vision Fest in June 2008, The Triangular Force (in association with Gildas Scouarnec and Jean-Luc Roumier) which regularly tours France, regular appearances in the UK with Tight Meat and Charlie C., and Freenology (with Guy Bettini, Paul Lovens and Clayton Thomas), featured in 2008 and 2009 at the Uncool Festival.
About Anders Nilsson “What kind of music do you play?” Now, they don’t have my category of music up as an option here yet, I like to call it Nordic Blues. I play guitar in FULMINATE TRIO: a guitartrio that through original pieces of music of various compositional/improvisational designs evoke sonic poltergeists and other intense forces w. Michael Evans-drums, electronics, various instruments & Ken Filiano-bass + electronics. ANDERS NILSSON’S AORTA (my Swedish band – we play my compositions and/or make it up on the spot), FAY VICTOR ENSEMBLE (original works where lyrics and vocal/instrumental flights are interwoven) GUNNAR: 30-somethings guitartrio making sludgy sounds, with mouths open on ocassion w. Reid Taylor-el.bass, Madhu Siddappa-drums), IN THE OZONE: freedom with one of a kind-drummer Tom Bruno & bassist Matt Heyner, UNDER SATAN’S SUN, JÖTNAR, MANAPE, as well as in other constellations that my blog and gig list will keep you abreast of. I also enjoy doing SOLO guitar performances and recordings.
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