Sonny Simmons DVD

[sidewinder]

Anyone else seen this DVD documentary by Brandon Evans?

Interesting stuff - quite an extensive interview with Simmons talking about his career, sessions with Dolphy/Lasha etc. and also side interviews with Anthony Braxton and Junie Booth.

Also some nice footage of Simmons in action on alto and english horn.

[HW!]

Yes, great stuff, my favorite Simmons documentary film to date, - the one that gives an accurate picture of his real frame of mind (but haven't seen the Bob Brewster "In Modern Times" film yet). The contrast between Simmons and Braxton, as they're shown by Evans, is interesting to witness.

Which version of the DVD do you have ? Allegedly, the first ones had bonus audio files that could be accessed from a computer. Never found that version.

[sidewinder]

This one says 'Director's Cut 05 - Cathode Films. Not For Re-Sale' (so much for that ). Haven't seen (and didn't know about) the Bob Brewster film (thanks for the advisory, HW!) .

Have just checked the DVD out on the PC and it boots up straight into video. No sign of any bonus audio files, alas.

I was suprised at the antagonism in Sonny's comments towards Prince Lasha. Wonder what happened there?

Interesting reminscences about Sonny and Lasha's early years in NYC and the Douglas session with Dolphy, also about his subsequent band with with Barbara Donald.

Edited June 18, 2006 by sidewinder

[HW!]

Anyway, thanks for checking! Another of the deep mysteries of the Parallactic label ...

Besides the Bob Brewster film, there's a good french movie, "Together With Sonny Simmons" (dir. François Lunel), due for (european) release in October, dealing with his various french sojourns. He inspired much film-makers, though much is unavailable.

The Prince Lasha/Sonny Simmons might be surprising at first sight, for their names are and will be forever associated in history - nevertheless, one can hear from their subsequent careers that they were both from the start of very different breed and mind. Lasha was the spiritual - mystical - kind, the avant-gardist pushing forward (Ornette oblige); Simmons is a rather earthy person, a nostalgic of the magic 40's and 50's, in spite of his habit of burning bridges behind him. During their erratic association (ater all, two years together at their start, then two records in some ten years, and no live hints after 1963) they clashed more often than not. Simmons has always felt his own achievements had been shadowed by Lasha's, a more talkative person who, early on, showed strong dispositions to publicity (the first motive behind "Illuminations!" was: advertizing. The guys come from nowhere, and they're suddenly adopted by 'Trane's rhythm section: what a newspapers story!). On the other hand, Simmons (before his later come-back) was a quasi-mute artist, deeply emotive (sometimes, one is under the impression that half his art and heart remained with Dolphy and Rollins, even to these days) putting emphasis on the music only. He quickly went away from a boisterous Lasha to follow his harsh research of the impossible synthesis between the old and the new, with the help of the even more silent Barbara Donald.

Compare their respective versions of "Music Matador" (a composition they both claim: another source of quarrels) : spanish, warm and lyrical on Lasha's "And Now Music" (Daagnim), it's danceable, sounds like a hot and bright afternoon in Mexico; focused, abstract, tense, on Simmons' "Jewels" or "Live at Rive de Gier". It's the perfect illustration of their antagonism. (Newermind, wouldn't it be paradise if they reunited?)

"Oh Boy! The Things I could tell you." (Sonny Simmons)

[Chalupa]

FYI.....

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...y+Simmons\