Sonny Simmons has been played on NTS in shows including The Pentagon Faceslap, featured first on 2 March 2014. Songs played include Congo Call, A Distant Voice and Congo Call.

Altoist Sonny Simmons made a strong impression in the 1960s as one of the most promising avant-garde players. He grew up in Oakland, CA, started playing English horn, and then at 16 took up the alto. Stints with Lowell Fulsom and Amos Milburn and some time spent playing bebop preceded Simmons finding his own sound in free jazz. In 1961, he spent some time with Charles Mingus and then, in 1962, he formed a group…