Who says jazz's heroes are all dead? Sonny Simmons, a ferocious alto saxophonist best known for his work with Eric Dolphy in the 1960s, has emerged after years of playing for change on the streets of San Francisco to record some of the most expressive, original jazz of the '90s. On this album, Simmons blazes through hard blues and sinewy funk originals, as well as a biting take on the John Coltrane chestnut "My Favorite Things." Backed by a muscular all-star quartet, Simmons' playing is explosive, alternating dissonant crescendos with elegantly restrained melodic passages. It's tense, turbulent music and proves that despite years of hardship and neglect, Simmons' fire is burning hotter than ever. (RS 767)

JASON FINE