I rank Sonny Simmons among the best living jazz saxophonists. Never close to being a "household name," even in the restricted world of jazz, he has worked in unstintingly exploratory fashion since the 1960s, producing challenging records and enduring long stretches when it was difficult to bring his music to vinyl or CD. Still, during the 1990s, he enjoyed a bit of a renaissance, even landing a contract with Warner Brothers-owned Qwest, which produced this album and the very fine "Ancient Rituals."