*** Sonny Simmons

AMERICAN JUNGLE

(Qwest/Warner Bros.)

Veteran alto player Sonny Simmons is one of the most ferocious saxmen around, and his latest is a primal workout of passionate intensity, with solid accompaniment from pianist Travis Shook, drummer Cindy Blackman, and the venerable Reggie Workman on bass. Simmons has had his ups and downs since debuting in the late '50s with Prince Lasha, including a brief tenure on the streets of San Francisco during the lean years of the mid '80s. But his music -- doubtless informed by his down-and-out experiences -- is tough and street-worthy.

On American Jungle he rarely falls off his testifying high horse. "American Jungle Theme," with its Latin traces and wildly hard-bopping style, recalls the heyday of the Jazz Messengers with Wayne Shorter. Elsewhere Simmons evokes the same "standing on a mountaintop" feel of mid-'60s Coltrane. There are two homages to the Master here: an original called "Coltrane Story" (which has a "Bessie's Blues" feel) and a version of "My Favorite Things" that stays true to Trane's arrangement while showcasing Simmons's slightly more agitated yowl.

-- Joe S. Harrington