Sonny Simmons - Burning Spirits (1970)

Many listeners, unfortunately, didn't comprehend free jazz back then and don't comprehend it now; however, those who do understand free jazz will find Simmons to be in top form on this CD. The saxman who is heard on tenor and alto as well as the English horn leads a passionate, highly inspired band that boasts Barbara Donald on trumpet, Richard Davis and Cecil McBee on upright bass, Lonnie Liston Smith on acoustic piano, and Clifford Jarvis on drums. That doesn't sound like a terribly avant-garde lineup, most of those improvisers have played inside more often than they've played outside.