''Staying on the Watch'' is the debut album by jazz musician

Sonny Simmons Huey "Sonny" Simmons (August 4, 1933 – April 6, 2021) was an American jazz musician. Biography Simmons was born on August 4, 1933 in Sicily Island, Louisiana. He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the English horn. (Along w ...

. It was released as ESP-1030 on the ESP-Disk label in 1966. The cover photograph is a mirror image displaying Simmons playing left handed against the NYC skyline.Sonny Simmons sessionography
accessed December 28, 2012 The album was included in the 2005 compilation ''The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings''.

Reception

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

, writing in ''

The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Know ...

'' considered the album "a masterpiece of new jazz"." Sonny Simmons"
Larkin, Colin (1999) ''

'', p. 782 at Google Books. Retrieved 15 May 2013. In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Alex Henderson wrote: "Simmons' playing is delightfully uninhibited and free-spirited on four original compositions... That isn't to say that ''Staying on the Watch'' is an exercise in atonal chaos... This is inside/outside playing (more outside than inside) rather than absolute atonality from start to finish. But even so, there is a lot of intensity coming from Simmons and the four musicians who form an acoustic quintet with him... Simmons' recording career as a leader was off to an exciting start with ''Staying on the Watch''." A

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

reviewer called the album "a scorcher," and praised "City of David," stating: "John Hicks... pulls the music in a more John Coltrane-inspired direction... stoking a fire that makes bassist Teddy Smith and drummer Marvin Pattillo simply steam." Writing for

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, Raul D'Gama Rose commented: "Sonny Simmons embraces music with his whole body, soul, mind and spirit; that much is clear from ''Staying on the Watch''... Simmons has always stood in the future to look back at his lonely African-ness, and he coaxed a storm to remind anyone who would listen that the harshness of life could be turned into something raw, beautiful and memorable for its beauty rather than its ugliness... ''Staying on the Watch'' is tinted with distinct shades of an approach that is more mystical and all-embracing; a wholly captivating experience." In a separate article for All About Jazz, Jerry D'Souza wrote: "Sonny Simmons... could fathom a cry of anguish just as easily as he could herald a shout of joy, as he created an ambience that spread its wings to encompass melody and lyricism. This balance is seen to advantage on ''Staying on the Watch''... Simmons had the perfect musical partner in trumpeter Barbara Donald, his wife at the time. She was propulsive, churning out dynamic lines that created a language of her own while complementing the outpourings of the alto sax. Pianist John Hicks was in the early stages of his career; his melodic touch is, nevertheless, in evidence and he plays a key role in the development of these compositions... Simmons stands tall as he marks his territory, with freedom and restraint, in a potent program."

Track listing

:''All compositions by Sonny Simmons'' # "Metamorphosis" - 11:38 # "A Distant Voice" - 7:23 # "City of David" - 15:03 # "Interplanetary Travelers" - 9:20

Personnel

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

Barbara Donald Barbara Kay Donald (September 2, 1942 – March 23, 2013) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Life and career She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Donald began playing trumpet aged eight in Minnesota, and her family r ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

John Hicks Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economic ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Teddy Smith Theodore "Teddy" Smith (January 22, 1932, in Washington, D.C.—August 24, 1979, in Washington, D.C.) was an American jazz double-bassist. Smith played with Betty Carter in 1960, and with Clifford Jordan (with whom he recorded the LP ''Bearc ...

- bass *Marvin Patillo -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 1966 debut albums ESP-Disk albums Sonny Simmons albums