Burning Spirits
Studio album by
Sonny Simmons
Released1971
RecordedNovember 24, 1970
Contemporary's Studio, Los Angeles, California
GenreJazz
Length79:18
LabelContemporary
S7625/26
ProducerLester Koenig
Sonny Simmons chronology
Rumasuma
(1970)		 Burning Spirits
(1971)		 Backwoods Suite
(1982)

Burning Spirits is a double album by American jazz saxophonist Sonny Simmons (credited as Huey Simmons on the initial release), which was recorded in 1970 and released on the Contemporary label.[1][2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Rolling Stonefavorable[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[5]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention))[6]

AllMusic awarded the album four stars with its review by Alex Henderson stating: "Burning Spirits is generally more free jazz than post-bop. But regardless of whether Simmons is playing inside or outside (usually outside), the saxman plays with tremendous conviction on this album."[3]

Robert Palmer of Rolling Stone commented: "Simmons and friends have taken the developments of the past ten years [...] and compacted them into an ever-changing kaleidoscope of spaces and densities that make a lot of what's au courant seem pale by comparison. If you buy only one LP of 'jazz' music this year, make it this one."[4]

Writing for All About Jazz, Jeff Stockton commented: "it would be nearly 22 years before [Simmons] made another significant recording after Burning Spirits. The harrowing intensity of the solos, the unrelenting quest for transcendence, and the overriding spirituality of the compositions indicate a substantial amount of recovery time was in order... For 80 minutes Burning Spirits grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go. It's a full dose of old school energy music that's hard to come by these days."[7]

Track listing

All compositions by Huey Simmons

  1. "Burning Spirits No. 1" - 11:34
  2. "New Newk" - 11:42
  3. "Healing Rays" - 15:55
  4. "Burning Spirits No. 2" - 13:47
  5. "Things and Beings" - 9:27
  6. "E=MC²" - 16:53

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Contemporary Records discography accessed June 9, 2015
  2. ↑ Sonny Simmons discography accessed June 9, 2015
  3. 1 2 Henderson, Alex. Burning Spirits – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Palmer, Bob (December 9, 1971). "Huey Simmons - Burning Spirits". Rolling Stone. No. 97. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1301. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ↑ Hull, Tom (April 19, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  7. ↑ Stockton, Jeff (August 25, 2003). "Sonny Simmons: Burning Spirits". All About Jazz. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
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