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Zoot...And Al, Too
It appears we lost a fine Zoot Sims thread in The Crash Of '03, so I'm reviving this for thoughts on the great John Haley Sims. But I also want to include Zoot's friend and partner Al Cohn, an underappreciated master.
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Nope, we did not!
peter rh Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 528 Zoot Sims Zone Thought I'd start a thread following mentions in other threads. Zoot's name seems to crop up regularly, mainly because of his popularity as a person rather than for being a great influence or giant of the tenor (+alto & sop) saxophone.I don't have a system for keeping my cds in any sort of order(not that I can explain),so I keep Zoot next to Fats Waller! I really don't remember just when I became aware of Zoot and his music - the Herman band with Zoot and the rest was a bit before my time,so it may have been the Mulligan band where I got my first taste. During November 1961 Zoot became Ronnie Scott's first American name at his London club.I'm not sure if it was generally known at the time,but Zoot played a part in arranging the exchange of Tubby Hayes (to work at the Half Note Club in NY) that was neccessary before Zoot could be allowed to work in UK.Ronnie Scott at the time was Tubby's manager -all complex stuff in the 60s!). I'm uncertain about my favourite Zoot albums only because I enjoy most of them - Zoot Sims & The Gershwin Brothers and also For Lady Day have to be near the top of the list but Basie & Zoot is up there as well. Anybody have particular favourites or good Zoot stories? Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-21-2003 08:00 PM clinthopson Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Tustin, CA, USA Posts: 228 I am a HUGE Zoot fan - ever since his days with Woody. He's probably my all-time favorite tenorist. On Pablo, some of my favorite Zoot efforts are: . . .And the Girshwin Brothers Soprano Sax (he was the best I ever heard on the fish horn) Hawthorne Nights Warm Tenor with the great Jimmy Rowles: If I'm Lucky Suddenly It's Spring With Joe Pass: Blues for Two With Sweets Edison: Just Friends with the great Al Cohn: Body and Soul on Muse Motoring Along on Sonet From A to Z and Beyond on Bluebird Zoot also appears on several of the Basie small group sessions on Pablo A fine early Zoot is Zootcase on Prestige The man never made a bad record. Besides that - the greatest nick in the history of jazz. __________________ Call your mother. Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-21-2003 08:43 PM peter rh Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 528 peter rh has attached this image: Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-21-2003 08:58 PM liamw Member Registered: Jan 2003 Location: North Jersey Posts: 88 I saw Mr Sims at the Half Note once in the late 60s. He wasn't on the bill -- it was a quartet led by Richie Kamuca, in what must have been a rare appearance in NYC. They played a couple of uninspired tunes, and then Zoot joined them on the bandstand and made it a memorable night. I expect that was a fairly common occurence when he was around. Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 12:29 AM brownie Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: paris, france Posts: 218 Clinthopson said it: the man never made a bad record. Other favorites are the Zoot Sims Quartets on OJC (listen to 'Zoot Swings the Blues' where Zoot stretched at length in one of the first LP session which enabled musicians to improvide beyond the 3-minute limitations of pre-LP era. And its' Art Blakey propelling him!, 'Jazz Alive. A Night at Half-Note' (with Al Cohn and Phil Woods) on BN, and 'Live in Philly' on the 32 label. And the Pablo records are superb. All of them. I caught Zoot Sims live several times. Best memories are from the evening when I heard Zoot Sims with Jimmy Rowles at the Village Vanguard. Must have been 1982. They had George Mraz and Akira Tana along. They all were on. Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 07:36 AM EKE BBB jazz seeker Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 774 quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by brownie And the Pablo records are superb. All of them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basie and Zoots (Pablo, 1975) is a must-have, IMO Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 08:33 AM EKE BBB jazz seeker Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 774 Had he got an identical twin? Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 08:39 AM EKE BBB jazz seeker Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 774 Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 08:53 AM EKE BBB jazz seeker Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 774 Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 08:55 AM peter rh Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 528 The Humor of Zoot Sims (page) is on : [url]http://members.aol.com/plabjazz/zootsims.html[/url] Jazz Musicians and those hats! peter rh has attached this image: Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 06:34 PM David Gitin Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Monterey,California Posts: 387 Zoot had a brother, and when Zoot died, there was a large tribute he attended at Kimball's in San Francisco, during which Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Mel Martin, John Handy, Herbie Steward (!), and man more performed. I loved the evening, musically and sentimentally as tribute. I had heard Zoot with Al Cohn several times at the Half Note in NYC early sixties, and seen Zoot in other combinations in the following years... Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-22-2003 06:43 PM peter rh Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 528 I've taken the following from a Jazz Journal article(within last 12 months?) by Jim Anderson : " Today,(Zoot) stands alongside those few whose fame requires no more than a single word for instant recognition.Pres,Louis,Hawk,Fats,Bird etc... Yet while Sims carried the one title most non-jazz followers would perhaps believe was archetypal of the jazz world,he was far from the image it might suggest.Check suits and lapels like jibs were never part of the Sims wardrobe.Beat-up slacks,a sweater or lumberjack type shirt and he was kitted.Indeed,one of the myriad of Zoot anecdotes tells of him turning up at a musicians meeting place one time in a completely out of character suit and tie garb.Asked why the smart outfit,he couldn't give a reason."I don't know ....... I just woke up like it!" " Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-23-2003 07:44 PM clifton Senior Member Registered: Oct 2002 Location: Clifton Hts., Pa Posts: 540 "Easy As Pie", featuring Al and Zoot live at The Left Bank Jazz Society, is my Zoot recommendation. I was fortunated to see Zoot live a few times. He was swing personified, sounding great every time. "From A To Z And Beyond" is also really good. Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-23-2003 08:00 PM peter rh Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 528 Anybody know if Zoot Case made it to cd ? Originally on Sonet vinyl, not sure about UK . AMG lists it as being paired with The Brothers! but I don't know if that was vinyl or cd on Prestige Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-23-2003 08:18 PM mmilovan Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Belgrade, Serbia Posts: 189 I like that "A Night at Half-Note" CD - some of the greatest live recordings IMO, by two very personal favourites of mine - Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. Speaking of other Sims albums - they are rare and hard to find. I like his colaborations with Red Mithell and Rune Gustafsson for Sonet label - record that I worn to death. Listen to Zoot on title "Tis Autumn"! Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-24-2003 12:49 PM peter rh Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: UK Posts: 528 Anyone know if this is available : peter rh has attached this image: Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-24-2003 09:07 PM SatinDoll Member Registered: Jul 2003 Location: Vienna Posts: 38 Inspired by this topic about Zoot right now I´m listening to a rare meeting between Zoot Sims with Bud Powell, recorded at a club in Paris in late 1961...great thing, extended versions of "Groovin´High" etc. ...great solos both by Zoot and Bud! Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-25-2003 07:48 PM Munch Member Registered: Apr 2003 Location: Scotland Posts: 97 I go along with every recording mentioned here. That 'Motoring Along' recording previously mentioned, is a swinger. I would add Zoot Sims 'Live In Copenhagen' 1978, on Storyville, with Kenny Drew, Neils H.O. Pedersen, and Ed Thigpen. Also his work with Bob Brookmeyer in 1956, with Hank Jones, Gus Johnson, Wyatt Ruther, and Bill Crow. Zoot was a man for all seasons. Every tune he played - swung! While playing at the Half Note one New Years Eve with his buddy Al Cohn, someone hollered out, "It's midnight!" Zoot and Al were both in full flow, but stopped suddenly, and looked at each other, kinda lost, then swung into a wildly swinging, 'Happy Birthday'! While watching the televised Moon landing at Ronnie Scott's, Zoot turned to Ronnie Scott and said, "There they are, landing on the moon, and I am still playing 'Indiana'!" Zoot never seemed to make a poor recording. If he did I am sure he would have had something to say about it, maybe such as, "Well, you got to cater for everyone's taste". Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-26-2003 08:38 PM mmilovan Senior Member Registered: Mar 2003 Location: Belgrade, Serbia Posts: 189 quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Munch While playing at the Half Note one New Years Eve with his buddy Al Cohn, someone hollered out, "It's midnight!" Zoot and Al were both in full flow, but stopped suddenly, and looked at each other, kinda lost, then swung into a wildly swinging, 'Happy Birthday'! While watching the televised Moon landing at Ronnie Scott's, Zoot turned to Ronnie Scott and said, "There they are, landing on the moon, and I am still playing 'Indiana'!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged 08-26-2003 11:51 PM RHINO Junior Member Registered: Aug 2003 Location: sydney,australia Posts: 28 ZOOT IS GREAT we happen to share the same birthday oct 29 an interesting report is at [url]http://www.jazzbrat.com/[/url] the blue sax playing muphet was actually named in zoot's honour he actually picked up the name from the front of the box he stood behind in the ken baker band in 1941,and reports that he is glad that he was not asked to stand behind the box marked goo goo perhaps the zoot suit influenced the box that was suggested in notes from ON THE KORNER it is revealed that stan kenton kicked him out for wearing space shoes,another reason not to be keen on swing dance bands I have nearly all his pablo recordings they are great zoot appears on some cheap but very good carmen mcrae recordings on the laser light label and her FOR LADY DAy rca/novus label FOR LADY DAY is not easy to obtain I read some internet report that he liked doing the half note with its sausage sandwich menu,so we have them from time to time and play zoot then the report said that zoot went around the tables between the sets chating with the audience Overall zoot is one of my favourite sax palyers,possibly a giant of jazz,oscar peterson reports in his autobiography that zoot caused oscar's group to increase the spped that they were playing at pitty he drank so much,perhaps it hid his liver cancer |
My thanks to mmilovan for restoring this thread.
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taken from the jazzbrat page provided by RHINO :
Zoot Sims Quotes: "I just take a tune and play it the only way I can. That's it. I don't really dwell on it very much. Some people probably do. I can only say I play it the way I feel it." Perhaps not a surprise, as it's from Zoot, but it shows that the simple and uncomplicated approach can succeed |
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by peter rh [/i]
[B] Zoot Sims Quotes: "I just take a tune and play it the only way I can. That's it. I don't really dwell on it very much. Some people probably do. I can only say I play it the way I feel it." [/B][/QUOTE] How great he was! |
[IMG]http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000000YOO.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg[/IMG]
I think this is about to be issued on SACD :) |
I was surprised that Zoot's most famous line was omitted from the above (unless I missed it). When asked at a gig how he could play so well while drunk, he replied "Because I practice drunk".
Zoot may be my favorite tenor player. I have about 20 CDs under his name. IMO he is the perfect summation of swing era tenor, which I love. I prefer his 70's releases including the duets Bucky Pizzarelli. Al Cohn is great too. Pick up his releases on Concord while you can. I think they are going OOP. |
One night at the late, lamented Half Note in New York I saw Al and Zoot. That was some night, swing as it was meant to be. Zoot punched out those hip riffs and Al soared, playing with a definite bop feel. Oh yeah, it gets better. Jimmy Rushing opened for them. That was jazz heaven.
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Anyone got this yet?
Zoot Sims At E.J’s, Atlanta, Georgia Zoot Sims – tenor & soprano sax Yancey Korosi – piano Dewey Sampson – bass James Martin - drums Rick Bell – tenor sax That Old Devil Called Love / Jitterbug Waltz / Softly As In A Morning Sunrise / Over The Rainbow / In A Mellotone / I Got It Bad / Caravan / Groovin ’ High / Take The A Train / Lester Leaps In The music on this CD (69 min./10 tunes) has never been released before. The music was recorded live in a nightclub in Atlanta, Ga., in 1981, and features Zoot Sims with a top local rhythm section lead by pianist Yancey Korosi; local tenor sax-player Rick Bell sits in on the last three numbers Sims plays in an easy-swinging, mainstream jazz style, heavily influenced by Lester Young. The repertoire consists of tasty and tasteful standards, including tunes by Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Harold Arlen. As always, Zoot Sims uses his beautiful tone and lots of melody to tell his story, rather than firing off endless notes and runs. Label: Storyville Records CATALOG NUMBER: 101 8367 |
Many thanks to Munch for recommending - Zoot Sims 'Live In Copenhagen' 1978, on Storyville, with Kenny Drew, Neils H.O. Pedersen, and Ed Thigpen.
All Zoot fans will love this one :) |
Zoot Sims is a study in consistency. He made quite a number of records, and virtually every one is excellent.
He played a pretty soprano too. Yes, some of those encounters with Al Cohn were magical. |
Anyone have or heard "Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers"
SACD Hybrid yet? (or even expecting it for Christmas) |
I don’t yet have Zoot’s Gershwin SACD and I’d like to hear a review, too. And speaking of Al, I find myself returning to his Xanadu releases with Barry Harris quite often. Come on, who couldn’t love “Zoot Case”?
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My first SACD from Fantasy group, Zoot and The Gershwin Brothers is very impressive. One new track - They Can't Take That
Away From Me - apart from Zoot (who sounds great) Joe Pass sounds wonderful. Almost like discovering a new recording - makes the older version sound dull and flat. I don't think this is yet available in UK (mine came from USA),but prices for those that are available are too high. MPS don't even seem to plan importing SACDs to UK |
Anybody remember the 1956 "Tenor Conclave" session on Prestige? (Fortunately I've got the vinyl). Al and Zoot, Mobley and Coltrane, with a rhythm section of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor. More than just a blowing date, because Cohn does some nice arrangements for the session, so it's a bit like a hard bop Four Brothers. Al was always more boppish than Zoot, and he sounds right at home with Mobley and Coltrane. Don't get me wrong, Zoot sounds just fine, and Trane, although a bit rough-edged in spots, sounds good, too, but Al and Hank steal the album.
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Zoot is, and was, always a favorite of mine, and the first one I remember knowing who was playing before hearing who it was for sure. His style is so distinct, and enjoyable. Peggy Lee said of his playing "Zoot Simms plays the sexiest sax around." I agree, it just grabs you.
Got to see him live several times, and was never dissappointed, not ever. Surprised once in a while, but not by his music, as it was always the best. |
I got Al and Zoot`s You n Me album last year.I highly recommend it.Mose Allison is on piano,Major Holley on bass,and Osie Johnson on drums.
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With Clark, without Al
At this very moment I am listening to Zoot's tasty contributions to Clark Terry's "Music in the Garden", a live date from 1968 produced by Teo Macero:
Clark Terry - trumpet & flugelhorn Zoot Sims - tenor sax Don Friedman - piano Larry Ridley - bass Dave Bailey - drums Nice... |
Zoot had to be one of the most recognisable of tenor sounds, two bars are all I need. I feel priviledged to have seen him quite a few times in London.
I have a whole bunch of LPs and CDs either under Zoot's name or as a sideman. Did he ever make a poor record, I sure as hell don't remember one. He also recorded on alto with Mulligan's band (with Eager,Konitz etc). It still sounded like Zoot. There was a lovely story about a jam in somebodys apartment, they jammed until the early hours and all fell asleep, one of the first guys to wake up saw Zoot sitting at the drum kit keeping time on the hi-hat, still playing his tenor. A truly wonderful musician and from what I've read a lovely man, I don't remember reading a bad word about him. |
He called me a name one time, and I about fell on the floor, so did John Levine, and then it was over and he was as sweet as he ever was.
I had forgotten that incident, and kept thinking it must have been someone else, but no it wasn't, it was Zoot, snockered, but that was the only time I saw him not walking well, He was like, well, marching, like he was leaning into a wind, like people who have had too much to drink do at times, where if they would lean forward any farther or walk any faster, they would pitch over onto their head. Anyway, I greeted him, and told him I was happy to see him there, and he just said "Bitch!" This after he had always been so nice to me, so I really couldn't believe it.. Had to laugh about it later, he said he just heard my voice, didn't really see who it was talking to him, and so that was the end of that. My only bad experience with any of the guys and it had to happen with Zoot, just about the nicest of them all. Just good, just fabulous to see and hear, and the guys all liked him and were thrilled when he would walk in the door, as it would pick up a notch with him there. ++++++++++++++ (edit) I have to add, this was the first and only time I ever saw him in a suit with his hair slicked back, as it was usually just curly, never oiled up, this time it was, and he had on a gray silk suit, He always looked big to me, and the suit made him seem so much smaller for some reason, and at first I didn't even recognize him, and I had never ever seen him intoxicated before, like you hear he would often times be. He almost always wore plaid flannels or his wool red plaid hunting shirts. One time he had one on just like my dads thick heavy wool one, same color and all, and we laughed about that, and I told him I was going to wear it down there some times, well the next time I saw him was when he had on his suit. Too funny really as his actions and words just hit John Levene and me so funny, shocking us and leaving us speechless for a bit. The thing about Zoot, he was always coming through the back door and when the band members would spot him walking in, they would just light up, they enjoyed him then even more than we do now, if you can imagine that! Wish I had tapes of how they all would greet him, nice to see. =========== . |
Any suggestions on where to start with Zoot? I'm thinking of picking up [i]Zoot Sims And The Gershwin Brothers[/i]. Any other suggestions on the best place to begin?
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gdogus - I think you might struggle to find a substandard cd by
Zoot - I haven't found any. The Gershwin Brothers is now available on SACD and is often recommended, as are many others mentioned in the first page of this thread. A recent new release on Jasmine - East Of The Apple includes a number of excellent small group dates from 1950/51. Zoot recorded with some of the all time greats, but if I had to choose a particularly well suited pianist, I would pick his dates with Jimmy Rowles(on Pablo/Fantasy). |
After "& the Gershwin Bros.", check out "Morning Fun", "Tonight's Music Today", "For Lady Day", "On the Korner", and "Jazz Alive:Night at the Half-note". Most of these should still be available on CD.
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Hi Fran!
You know, if I were to do that, do you know how many crazy stories they would write about me? We were crazy down there you know, just nuts! |
Something crazy is going on with the posting board, my post keeps coming in up above yours!
You know if I could have written about the Lighthouse back in the late 60's I could have had much more to say, as almost all of the people who were anyone in jazz were there entertaining at one time or another. I mean just about everyone, and then the songs they did, the things they said were all so fresh. I have pretty good recall, but not like I would want it to be for a book. Too much would have to be left out. It seems that everyday things come back, everytime I look up a photo of someone, a new memory will pop up, but then a lot of the fellows were not into socializing with the patrons, so there were a lot of them that I didn't meet, and then we were off to Squaw Valley, off to San Francisco, off to Laguna, and La Jolla, so my life wasn't spent in the Lighthouse, but the times that they were, will always be special to me. This site has brought so much back to me, that it has great being able to see what all of you have to say, and what your experiences have been, most of you know a lot more about everything that I do, as I just have been away from it all way too long. I have told this to Tenorman, you know it is odd, but when I wanted to be alone, I would go to the Lighthouse, if I wanted to be into deep thoughts, I would go to the Lighthouse, if I wanted to have fun, be around people I enjoyed, I would go to the Lighthouse. This all sounds crazy, but it was just all things to me, it was like a friend. |
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Saundra Hummer [/i]
[B]He called me a name one time, and I about fell on the floor, so did John Levine, and then it was over and he was as sweet as he ever was. I had forgotten that incident, and kept thinking it must have been someone else, but no it wasn't, it was Zoot, snockered, but that was the only time I saw him not walking well, He was like, well, marching, like he was leaning into a wind, like people who have had too much to drink do at times, where if they would lean forward any farther or walk any faster, they would pitch over onto their head. Anyway, I greeted him, and told him I was happy to see him there, and he just said "Bitch!" This after he had always been so nice to me, so I really couldn't believe it.. Had to laugh about it later, he said he just heard my voice, didn't really see who it was talking to him, and so that was the end of that. My only bad experience with any of the guys and it had to happen with Zoot, just about the nicest of them all. Just good, just fabulous to see and hear, and the guys all liked him and were thrilled when he would walk in the door, as it would pick up a notch with him there. [/B][/QUOTE] Sorry to quote it in it's entirety Sandi, but I wanted to ask - "When are you going to write your "Hermosa Beach Memoirs"? You have some great experiences and wonderful stories to tell. |
[QUOTE=peter rh]Anyone got this yet?
Zoot Sims At E.J’s, Atlanta, Georgia Zoot Sims – tenor & soprano sax Yancey Korosi – piano Dewey Sampson – bass James Martin - drums Rick Bell – tenor sax That Old Devil Called Love / Jitterbug Waltz / Softly As In A Morning Sunrise / Over The Rainbow / In A Mellotone / I Got It Bad / Caravan / Groovin ’ High / Take The A Train / Lester Leaps In The music on this CD (69 min./10 tunes) has never been released before. The music was recorded live in a nightclub in Atlanta, Ga., in 1981, and features Zoot Sims with a top local rhythm section lead by pianist Yancey Korosi; local tenor sax-player Rick Bell sits in on the last three numbers Sims plays in an easy-swinging, mainstream jazz style, heavily influenced by Lester Young. The repertoire consists of tasty and tasteful standards, including tunes by Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Harold Arlen. As always, Zoot Sims uses his beautiful tone and lots of melody to tell his story, rather than firing off endless notes and runs. Label: Storyville Records CATALOG NUMBER: 101 8367[/QUOTE] peter: The complete concert (13 tunes, about 97 minutes, adding "Emily", "All the things you are" and "The girl from Ipanema" to your list) was released as 2 CDs on Live at E.J.'s/Intermusic/Movieplay from Portugal??? calling it "[B]In a mellow tone[/B] [JLR 103.604]. [IMG]http://interioare.free.fr/Iancsy%20Koeroessy/Imagini/Koeroessy%20-%20In%20A%20Mellow%20Tone.jpg[/IMG] This is a wonderful performance that is more than worth having in a complete version. For those not knowing him, [B]Ianci Körössy[/B] (or Yancey Korosi as it´s also spelled) is a fabulous pianist born in Cluj Napoka (Rumania). If you could find it, get as soon as possible the disc [B]"Jazz recital"[/B] on Supraphone [SUF 25115] and you´ll be pleasantly surprised by this monster of Eartern-Jazz piano. [IMG]http://interioare.free.fr/Iancsy%20Koeroessy/Imagini/Koeroessy%20-%20Jazz%20Recital.jpg[/IMG] Here´s the guy himself: [IMG]http://www.organissimo.org/forum/uploads/post-3-1085120543.jpg[/IMG] |
[QUOTE=peter rh]Anyone got this yet?
Zoot Sims At E.J’s, Atlanta, Georgia[/QUOTE] I [I]love[/I] this recording. The amazing thing is that this group was not a regular touring band where the members develop some familiarity with each other's playing. Zoot Sims was touring solo, playing with pick-up groups at each stop when he made this recording. But the interplay between Sims and the band, particularly pianist Korosi, is almost telepathic - it sounds like they've played together for years. An excerpt from the review on Allmusic.com: [I]"After opening his set with a gorgeous version of "That Old Devil Called Love," Zoot turns Yancey Korosi loose on the public with a very advanced rendering of Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz." The recognizably familiar melody only appears during the last chorus. First the pianist tears up, playing all sorts of harmonic variations on the changes. Then Zoot enters quoting "When Yuba Plays the Rhumba on the Tuba." They gyrate together and by the time the piece ends the audience has obviously been goosed into a state of heightened receptivity. Anyone who has ever experienced a live club performance of real jazz will recognize this turning point in the program. It is very much what this kind of music is all about.[/I] And that doesn't even get into the 11-minute double-timed bossa-nova version of [I]Over the Rainbow[/I] which is one of my favorite performances of any song, ever. |
Zoot
on his fantasy issues zoot seems to be nearly all studio,with just a few live discs here and there
having a very good zoot collection,but not much with al cohn ,I was wondering if aNYone could recommend [B]in print [/B] recordings of zoot with al it is interesting to read that zoot was with the count basie big band, and I was wondering if there are any good [B]in print [/B] recordings of zoot featuring in the basie big band? yes,I know about BASIE AND ZOOT, basie jam ,montreux jam and a few other small group outings as a big band recording zoot's own PASSION FLOWER is great |
[QUOTE=rhinozoot]
having a very good zoot collection,but not much with al cohn ,I was wondering if aNYone could recommend [B]in print [/B] recordings of zoot with al it is interesting to read that zoot was with the count basie big band, and I was wondering if there are any good [B]in print [/B] recordings of zoot featuring in the basie big band? yes,I know about BASIE AND ZOOT, basie jam ,montreux jam and a few other small group outings [/QUOTE] there are plenty of Zoot & Al Cohn recommendations in this thread(both pages) availability is easy to check. I don't know about " zoot was with the count basie big band" where did you read this ? Did Zoot make a guest appearence, something more regular or a recording date ? |
basie big band
zoot is descrided on general brief descriptions as being of this background
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Zoot was never a part of the Basie band.. guest appearances, and the Pablo's.. though on the Pablo sets.. I don't think he recorded with the big band, and his recordings with Basie were generally promoted as though they had equal billing.
It reminds me of a night at Donte's in LA.. Bill Berry was doing aN Ellington night and introduced Marshall Royal as being an ex- Ellingtonian... Marshall lookred really uncomfortable at the announcement.. true he had played lead sax with the band a couple of times, when the regular band members were " indisposed".. but that hardly qualifies him as an " Ellingtonian" Actually , although Berry played with Ellington more, I don't see him as one either. This Zoot / Basie thing is probably from someone who doesn't know better, or a person who thinks dropping the Basie reference would make a record more desirable. |
@
looks like my information was confused, zoot would have been great with the basie big band,but it did not happen
checking online IN A MELLOW TONE is unavailable |
notes live on left bank
the notes are interesting
1 sonny stitt approached for an autograph asked who is your favourite tenor? zoot 2 zoot enjoyed cooking esp glocomale,chile and spagetti bolaniase 3 his house had a music room with a permanent piano and drums,loved jamming and regulary invited over jimmy rowles, bucky pizzarelli,tommy flannagan |
I love the date Zoot did with Joe Pass, "Blues for Two".
Everything he did with Jimmy Rowles is great; my favorite is "If I'm Lucky". Zoot plays his butt off on the Chiaroscuro CD "The Dave McKenna Quartet featuring Zoot Sims". I'm listening to "Passion Flower" as I type this. Nice! I recently heard the CD he did with Joe Venuti on Chiaroscuro. Needless to say, the CD swings from start to finish. With Zoot, it's all good. |
having a very good zoot collection,but not much with al cohn ,I was wondering if aNYone could recommend [B]in print [/B] recordings of zoot with al
[B]Zoot Sims & Al Cohn Body and Soul ( Muse) George Duvivier • Jaki Byard • Mel Lewis[/B] 1. Doodle Oodle 2. Emily 3. Brazilian Medley: Recado Bossa Nova / Girl From Ipanema, The / One Note Samba 4. Mama Flossie 5. Body And Soul 6. Jean 7. Blue Hodge |
I know there is one titled "A to Z" that is out on CD. I haven't listened to it in awhile but I seem to remember liking it.
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