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'''John Haley''' "'''Zoot'''" '''Sims''' (October 29, 1925 - March 23, 1985) was an American [[jazz]] [[saxophone|saxophonist]], playing mainly [[tenor saxophone|tenor]] and [[soprano saxophone|soprano]].<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=4362 |title=Zoot Sims|publisher=All About Jazz |date= |accessdate=August 8, 2013}}</ref> He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of [[Woody Herman]]'s big band, then went on to a long solo career, often in partnership with fellow saxman [[Al Cohn]] or trombonist [[Bob Brookmeyer]]. |
'''John Haley''' "'''Zoot'''" '''Sims''' (October 29, 1925 - March 23, 1985) was an American [[jazz]] [[saxophone|saxophonist]], playing mainly [[tenor saxophone|tenor]] and [[soprano saxophone|soprano]].<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=4362 |title=Zoot Sims|publisher=All About Jazz |date= |accessdate=August 8, 2013}}</ref> He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of [[Woody Herman]]'s big band, then went on to a long solo career, often in partnership with fellow saxman [[Al Cohn]] or trombonist [[Bob Brookmeyer]]. |
Revision as of 13:59, 10 August 2016
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Zoot Sims | |
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![]() 52nd Street Jazz Fair, New York, July 6, 1976 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | John Haley Sims |
Born | Inglewood, California, United States | October 29, 1925
Origin | Queens, New York, United States |
Died | March 23, 1985 New York City, New York, United States | (aged 59)
Genres | Jazz, big band, cool jazz |
Occupation(s) | Saxophonist, composer |
Instrument(s) | Tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone |
Years active | 1944-85 |
Labels | Pablo, Verve, Epic, Mercury |
John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 - March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.[1] He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big band, then went on to a long solo career, often in partnership with fellow saxman Al Cohn or trombonist Bob Brookmeyer.
Biography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Zoot_Sims.jpg/220px-Zoot_Sims.jpg)
He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims.[2] His father was a vaudeville hoofer, and Sims prided himself on remembering many of the steps his father taught him. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age. His brother was trombonist Ray Sims.[3]
Following in the footsteps of Lester Young, Sims developed into an innovative tenor saxophonist. Throughout his career, he played with big bands, starting with those of Kenny Baker and Bobby Sherwood after dropping out of high school after one year. He played with Benny Goodman's band in 1943 and replaced his idol Ben Webster in Sid Catlett's Quartet in 1944.[4][5]
Sims served 1944-46 as a corporal in the United States Army Air Forces,[5][6] then moved on to such renowned bands as those of Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. Sims was also one of Woody Herman's "Four Brothers", and he was known among his peers as one of the strongest swingers in the field. He frequently led his own combos and sometimes toured with his friend Gerry Mulligan's sextet, and later with Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band. Sims rejoined Goodman in 1962 for a tour of the Soviet Union.[5]
In the 1950s and '60s, Sims had a long, successful partnership as co-leader of a quintet with Al Cohn, which recorded under the name "Al and Zoot". That group was a favorite at New York City's Half Note Club. Always fond of the higher register of the tenor sax, Zoot also liked to play alto and late in his career added the soprano saxophone to his performances, while recording a series of albums for the Pablo Records label of impresario Norman Granz. Zoot also played on some of Jack Kerouac's recordings.
Sims acquired the nickname "Zoot" early in his career while he was in the Kenny Baker band in California. The name was later appropriated for a sax-playing Muppet.
Sims played a 30-second solo on the song "Poetry Man," written by vocalist/guitarist Phoebe Snow on her debut eponymous album in 1975.
Zoot Sims died in New York City of cancer on March 23, 1985,[4] and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Nyack, New York.[6]
Discography
- The Brothers (Prestige, 1949) - with Stan Getz and Al Cohn
- Zoot Sims All Stars (Zoot Sims - Al Cohn - Kai Winding - George Wallington - Percy Heath - Art Blakey) (Esquire Records, 1953)
- The Modern Art of Jazz by Zoot Sims (Dawn, 1956)
- From A to...Z (RCA Victor, 1956) - The Al Cohn/Zoot Sims Sextet
- Tonite's Music Today (Storyville, 1956) Zoot Sims and Bob Brookmeyer
- Whooeeee (Storyville, 1956) - The Zoot Sims-Bob Brookmeyer Quintet
- Zoot Sims – Zoot Sims avec Henri Renaud et son orchestre et Jon Eardley (Ducretet-Thomson 250V023, 1956) recorded in Paris, March 15 & 16, 1956, tenor saxophone – Zoot Sims, piano – Henri Renaud, trumpet – Jon Eardley
- Zoot! (Riverside 1956)
- Tenor Conclave (Riverside, 1956) with Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor
- Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims (Blue Note, 1956) - with Jutta Hipp
- Goes To Jazzville (1956) with Totah, Williams, Bill Anthony, Jerome Lloyd, and Gus Johnson
- The Modern Art of Jazz (Dawn, 1956)
- Zoot Sims and The Joe Castro Trio Live at Falcon Lair (1956)
- That Old Feeling is a double-issue CD of two 1956 albums, one including "Bohemia After Dark", Sims' first recorded alto solo, and Zoot Sims plays Alto, Tenor, and Baritone
- Zoot Sims/Al Cohn - Hoagy Carmichael Sessions and More (1957) recorded in New York, Sims plays tenor and Cohn, baritone with Nick Travis, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, pianist Elliot Lawrence, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Osie Johnson. Arrangements by Bill Elton
- The Four Brothers... Together Again! (Vik, 1957) - with Serge Chaloff, Al Cohn and Herbie Steward
- Al and Zoot (Coral, 1957) with Al Cohn Quintet
- Locking Horns (Rama, 1957) with Joe Newman
- Stretching Out (United Artists, 1958) with Bob Brookmeyer
- Jazz Alive! A Night at the Half Note (United Artists, 1959) with Al Cohn and Phil Woods
- Either Way (1959–60) with Cecil Colier, Bill Crow, Gus Johnson, and Mose Allison
- You 'n' Me (Mercury, 1960) - the Al Cohn/Zoot Sims Quintet
- Down Home (Bethlehem, 1960) with Dave McKenna, George Tucker, and Dannie Richmond
- At the Half Note Again (1965) with Cohn, pianist Roger Kellaway, bassist Bill Crow, drummer Mel Lewis. On some tracks there is a third tenor player Richie Kamuca and a different rhythm section (pianist Dave Frishberg, bassist Tommy Potter and Lewis)
- New Beat Bossa Nova (Colpix, 1962)
- New Beat Bossa Nova Vol. 2 (Colpix, 1962)
- Zoot at Ronnie Scott's (1962)
- Solo for Zoot (1962, recorded at Ronnie Scott's)
- Two Jims and Zoot (Mainstream, 1964) - with Jimmy Raney & Jim Hall
- Inter-Action (Cadet, 1965) - with Sonny Stitt
- Suitably Zoot (Pumpkin, 1965 [1979]) with the Al Cohn-Richie Kamuca Sextet and the Bob Brookmeyer Quintet
- Al and Zoot in London (1965, recorded at Ronnie Scott's)
- Waiting Game (Impulse!, 1966) - with orchestra arranged by Gary McFarland
- The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World (1967) with various artists as part of a jam session (Pablo, 1967)
- Al Cohn & Zoot Sims - Easy As Pie - live at the Left Bank Jazz Society night at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, 1968. Rhythm section is Dave Frishberg, Victor Sproles on bass and Donald McDonald on drums
- Zoot Sims/Al Cohn - Body and Soul (1973) with Jaki Byard on piano, George Duvivier on bass and Mel Lewis on drums
- Zoot Suite (1973) - live with Jimmy Rowles, George Mraz(bass) and Mousey Alexander
- Joe Venuti/Zoot Sims - Joe & Zoot & More (1973) w. Spencer Clark on bass saxophone, Milt Hinton and Bucky Pizzarelli
- Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers (1975) with pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Joe Pass, George Mraz and Grady Tate (drums)
- Count Basie/Zoot Sims Basie & Zoot (1975) quartet w. bassist John Heard and drummer Louie Bellson. A bluesy set.
- Motoring Along (1975) with Al Cohn
- Soprano Sax (1976) with Ray Bryant, George Mraz, and Grady Tate
- Hawthorne Nights (1976) with a small big band and arrangements by Bill Holman
- Somebody Loves Me, a re-issue of tracks cut in the mid-1970s for the Groove Merchant label, featuring Sims on tenor and soprano with Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar), Milt Hinton (bass), and Buddy Rich (drums). Some of this was released at the time as the album Nirvana. Reissued by Pilz Records (USA) on CD as Send in the Clowns
- If I'm Lucky (Pablo, 1977) with Jimmy Rowles
- For Lady Day (1978) Sims, Rowles and Mraz, performing some of Billie Holiday's favourite numbers. Jackie Williams on drums
- Zoot Sims and Sweets Edison - Just Friends (Pablo, 1978). Released on Norman Granz's Pablo Records
- Zoot Sims in Copenhagen (1978)
- Zoot Sims/The Swinger (1979)
- I Wish I Were Twins - Zoot Sims with Jimmy Rowles (1981)
- Art Pepper/Zoot Sims - Art 'n' Zoot (1981) - with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Barney Kessell
- Zoot Sims with Joe Pass - Blues For Two (1982)
- Suddenly It's Spring - (1983) w. Rowles, Mraz and Akira Tana
- Quietly There (1984) Zoot Sims plays Johnny Mandel compositions with Mike Wofford piano, Chuck Berghofer bass, Nick Ceroli drums, and Victor Feldman percussion, his final recording
As sideman
With Pepper Adams
- Encounter! (Prestige, 1968)
With Trigger Alpert
- Trigger Happy! (Riverside, 1956)
With Chet Baker
- Chet Baker & Strings (Columbia, 1954)
- Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe (Riverside, 1959)
With Louis Bellson
- Louis Bellson Quintet (Norgran, 1954)
With Clifford Brown
- Jazz Immortal (Pacific Jazz, 1954)
With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
- Jazz Is Universal (Atlantic, 1962)
With Al Cohn
- The Sax Section (Epic, 1956)
With Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Oscar Peterson
- The Tenor Giants Featuring Oscar Peterson (Pablo, 2000)
With Art Farmer
- The Aztec Suite (United Artists, 1959)
With Curtis Fuller
- South American Cookin' (Epic, 1961)
With Quincy Jones
- The Birth of a Band! (Mercury, 1959)
With Stan Kenton
- Portraits on Standards (Capitol, 1953)
- The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1940–54, [1955])
With Jack Kerouac
- Blues and Haikus (Hanover-Signature, 1959)
With Carmen McRae
- Something to Swing About (Kapp, 1959)
With the Metronome All-Stars
- Metronome All-Stars 1956 (Clef, 1956)
With Charles Mingus
- The Complete Town Hall Concert (Blue Note, 1962 [1994])
With Jack Montrose
- Arranged by Montrose (Pacific Jazz, 1954)
With Gerry Mulligan
- California Concerts (Pacific Jazz, 1955)
- Presenting the Gerry Mulligan Sextet (EmArcy, 1955)
- Mainstream of Jazz (EmArcy, 1956)
- The Gerry Mulligan Songbook (World Pacific, 1957)
- The Concert Jazz Band (Verve, 1960)
- Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour (Verve, 1960 [1962])
- Something Borrowed - Something Blue (Limelight, 1966)
With Oliver Nelson
- Encyclopedia of Jazz (Verve, 1966)
- The Sound of Feeling (Verve, 1966)
With Lalo Schifrin and Bob Brookmeyer
- Samba Para Dos (Verve, 1963)
With Shorty Rogers
- Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (RCA Victor, 1954)
With Sonny Stitt
- Broadway Soul (Colpix, 1965)
With Clark Terry
- Mother ! Mother ! (Pablo, 1979)
With Sarah Vaughan
- Vaughan and Violins (Mercury, 1958)
- The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 1 (Pablo, 1979)
- Linger Awhile: Live at Newport and More (Pablo, 2000)
With Phoebe Snow
- Phoebe Snow (album) (Shelter, 1974)
With Joe Williams
- At Newport '63 (RCA Victor, 1963)
References
- ^ "Zoot Sims". All About Jazz. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ [1] Template:Wayback
- ^ Peter J. Levinson, September in the Rain: The Life of Nelson Riddle, Taylor Trade Publishing, 2005, p. 140.
- ^ a b Burt A. Folkart, "Saxophonist John Haley (Zoot) Sims Dies at 59", obituary in Los Angeles Times, March 24, 1985, retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c Ronald D. Lankford Jr., Zoot Sims biography, at musicianguide.com, retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ a b Zoot Sims at Find a Grave
External links
- Downbeat Magazine article, April 13, 1961.
- American jazz saxophonists
- Hard bop saxophonists
- Cool jazz saxophonists
- American jazz tenor saxophonists
- American saxophonists
- 1925 births
- 1985 deaths
- Jazz musicians from California
- Musicians from Inglewood, California
- People from Queens, New York
- Cancer deaths in New York
- Prestige Records artists
- Muse Records artists
- Pablo Records artists
- MCA Records artists
- RCA Records artists
- Impulse! Records artists
- Riverside Records artists
- Savoy Records artists
- Benny Goodman Orchestra members
- 20th-century American musicians
- 20th-century saxophonists