There is a lot of rumor around my namesake - that he was a Panther, that he blew up a building on the campus of Wesleyan in protest, etc., but regardless of truth, he was a very interesting composer and musician who was a galvanizing force in the 'scene' of that late '60s-early '70s period. He had a very good ear for organizing bands, quite often, and being the front-line flywheel that kept proceedings in motion.
The JCOA is probably my favorite, followed by Ketchaoua, then the America, with the two self-released recordings being the least interesting to my ears. In fact, though it is prized by collectors, Communications Network is kind of a drag...
Communications Network: Third World Records 12272, rec. 1972 with
Communications Network parts 1 & 2 // Festivals and Funerals
Sirone (b) Jerome Cooper (d) Lakshiarayana Shankar (vln) // Nathan Davis (ss) Jay Hoggard (vib) Andy Gonzalez (b) Jerry Gonzalez, Vincent George, Nicky Marrero (percussion), Jayne Cortez (recitation)
Thornton plays cornet on all tracks, with electric piano dubbed in on side one.