Hommage to Neal Hefti - Art Simmons

Art Simmons is a native of Glen White, West Virginia. He was born February 5, 1926. His father was the Rev. Albert E. Simmons of Lester, WV. For a while he was the Paris correspondent for "Jet" magazine. Art Simmons resided in post-war Paris at its heyday. Art first came to Paris in 1947 when he was serving with the 17th Special Services Band of the U.S. Army and stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. He played at the African-American Club, Chez Honey in Montparnasse. The following year he returned to Paris for the annual Jazz festival. In 1949 he recorded his first album with James Moody.
It was Moody who introduced Simmons to Kenny Clarke after he left the Army and asettled in Paris. While studying music at the Paris Conservatoire and the Ecole Normale, Simmons played piano at Chez Inez, he later played at the Mars Club and Sugar Ray Robinson's club "Ringside". The Art Simmons Trio was once performers at the "Living Room", a small Parisian jazz club which was known for its relaxed atmosphere. Many American jazz artist would visit "The Living Room" and jam with Art. Simmons inaugurated the club in 1963-thanks to Kenny Clarke. The "Living Room keept going until 1969. Art Simmons returned to West Virginia in 1972. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.