Cool of the Evening - Al Cohn/Zoot Sims 

Being OLD I had the pleasure of seein g Al and ZOOT at th e Half Note in th e early 60s. Many others as well. Always liked each of them

The inimitable Phil Seaman on drums!

Important footage of some British Jazz masters plus Zoot and Al. To be able to hear these guys swinging through What the world needs now is invaluable scholarship for musicians like me.

I saw Al Cohn, together with Sal Nistico and a bunch of other big jazz men, in a tiny little jazz club in Terneuzen (Holland), about 20 years ago... and man... they burned the building down...!

I remember working at a record store and the rockers (employees) taking the piss because I put Zoot on the turntable. This is the bomb.

Excellent! It is particularly good to see anything on film of Phil Seamen. Few British Jazz players combine such a legendary reputation for his playing combined with such a dearth of recorded material to verify it... Sadly, he is likely to be remembered for all the wrong reasons :-(

Dave Green was, and continues to be, a great, great bass player.

And surely that is the great Stan Tracey on piano too! What a band!

Thank god this video exists, otherwise there'd be no live footage of Al Cohn on youtube. Thankfully, there's a bunch of live Zoot. Al and Zoot's band was also very great and they made many great albums together, with lots of great rhythm sections. My favorite is Live At The Half Note with Mose Allison, Knobby Totah, and a young Paul Motian swinging his butt off. A lot of people mention Zoot being underrated, and of course he was, but so was Al; a supreme tenor player and wonderful arranger. Thanks for posting!

Hats off to the late Great Phil Seamen !!!

You maybe interested to know that Zoot played tenor sax on the track 'Lonely Women' (1968) by the Bronx rock/pop singer/songwriter Laura Nyro, from her revolutionary 2nd LP "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'. Also on this LP are Joe Farrell, Bernie Glow, Mel Davis, and an array of New York's finest jazz players. Nyro was unusual as a rock/pop act in that she used only jazz players on her first two LP's. Her first LP' More Than a New Discovery' (1967) has Toots Thielemanns and Buddy Lucas. Miles Davis was a fan of hers and they did a few shows together in NYC. Nyro was a child prodigy and considered an artists artist in rock/pop. She is a huge favourite, and her fans range from Alice Cooper, to Bob Dylan, to Stephen Sondheim, to Barry Manilow and rap artists. Jazzman Billy Childs recently did an LP of her songs. Some consider her one of America's greatest composers. She is Barry Manilow's favourite ahead of Chopin.

Aweeeesome ! Phil Seamen is sadly missed even now. Instant rapport with any front line was that man's forte. Al Cohn & Zoot Sims always made a great combination and even better with Scott Hamilton helping to blow up a storm. Coleman Hawkins has a lot to answer for. Pop fans - eat your hearts out !

Heard Phil at the Gargoyle club, West End. He was in fine form and it was very nice to meet him.

Smokin'it down. Not a tense muscle anywhere on that stage. What a great op to see Zoot & Al with a fantastic British rhythm section. Yeah, the Brits figured it out right away...Tubby Hayes, anyone remember?? He could slap some serious hurt on the tenor!! Thanks-love this video!!!

thanks a lot to give us this vid....al cohn and zoot are my favorite players and it's really hard to see a vid with this guys...really thanks you ....you make me feel happy...if you have more vid ....it will be the same pleasure.

I saw this Cool of the Evening programme when it was first broadcast back in 1968, and I'm amazed to see it again as a lot of the BBC tapes were erased. These programmes were only about 15 minutes long and just slotted in among the normal programmes in a sort of random manner. Others in the series included flautist Johnny Scott, and one with Sonny Stitt with an organist called Bob Stucky. I still have a reel to reel of the Stitt session in the attic.

The great Phil Seamen !!

Extremely great stuff! Zoot is one of my heroes. Never "seen" Al Cohn before, but always loved his sound, too. Thanks for posting!

Those were great days, at least its all recorded

Georgous playing. I think many of Bacharach's songs lent themselves to a jazz interpretation. Classic British trio in the back.

That arrangement of What the World Needs Now might be the most elegant, sublime and hip version of a Burt Bacharach tune.

Real Musicians.

This is too much; Absolutely awesome. I can't thank you enough. One of my dreams has been answered.

My pleasure. For me, it's particularly great to hear the two frontliners with such a superb rhythm section - Stan's excellence is a given, Phil Seamen was legendary for sometimes non-musical reasons, but I don't think enough credit is ever given to Dave Green. He's one of the front rank of British jazz bass players - I'd put only Ron Mathewson, Roy Babbington and Andy Cleyndert on a par with him.

Burt's Tune from 68',Great Post, THE World still needs it.

As the uploader of this video, I have to say that I love the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and if Flea digs this stuff, he's just gone even higher in my estimation.

for those of us who refuse to let this music die let us all join together and pass it on to our kids and grandkids..that is our purpose here on earth...don't let the coming generations think that all we listened to was the shit that is given us by "top 40" radio stations and the cashbox magazine....

They really could swing. We really miss them. When they played unison lines, it sounded like one sax.

I'm not usually patriotic, but it's great to see these London lads well up to the job

totally hip arrangement and great playing

What a gorgeous arrangement. Makes this heart melt EVERY TIME. Even with the odd warbly bits from the source video.

That is some hip phrasing.

This is so seriously cool Im sitting here shivering.....

Who said white guys can't swing? Zoot and Al knocked this out the park. Smooth as a single malt scotch.

Indeed...what the world needs now...

The title of the programme was 'Cool of the Evening'. The first track is Burt Bacharach's 'What the World Needs Now', the second seems to be called 'Zootleootle'.

I agree, it's "What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love" Bacharach

The year I was born.My soul thought Earth is a cool place...I really didn't knew,it will be like hell in 40 years...

So groovy!

Great clip! Thanks for sharing!

Fantastic line-up...

Wonderful.

2 years later after/EskilIsDaShit's reaction on this music it is about time somebody explains again this is worth?

still love it!!

Amazing.TY for posting.

What a team…..

Beautiful

Loved this. Thanks for the upload !!

Wowser!

wow simplement merveilleux!

Did Phil ever play Stateside? I do not know much about him except for the Ginger Baker connection.

It is "What The World Needs Now Is Love" - and was frequently done by Zoot & Al.

Thanks. That makes sense.

Zoot was Getz with a wonderful nasty tone. Getz was Zoot with a beautiful tone.

flea from the chili peppers brought me here. he got amazing taste in music. Excellent bass player

Zoot S. is an underrated sax player in my opinion.

These guys are pretty good!

One best drummers ever according to Charlie Watts

Phil Seamen was Charlie Watts' early hero.

awesome!!!!!

ever hear Zoot with Tony Bennett singing " I'm Coming Virginia"? WOW is all I can say!

Hey so did I !! That must have been around 83. i saw Zoot in Ronnies and he looked terrible, but played brilliantly

@p6ulo Yes, I have an lp called motoring along and What the World Needs Now Is Love is on there and the second song doodle oodle is on live at the half note again and on body and soul

Bacharach's composition is kitsch but this recording is sensational!!!!

zoot sent me here, master!!

excellent

mastery!

Zoot Sims did work on Jack Kerouac- American Haiku

Thums up if Flea send to this video :)

as long as you're here...

thanks flea

I don't think this the cool of the evening but... it is what the world needs now (is love sweet love)!

Read the description! Great stuff :)

Fantástico

was´nt Phil the teacher of Ginger Baker?

Flea is my master, and I'll see everything that he see :)

'Doodle-oodle' is based on the changes to 'Limehouse Blues'.

@LordViczerez Yeah, cause that's basicly all the music that is up today...

@oldgolfman Think he does, but blimey if it wasn't working he's even better than I thought.

@28handcraft Doodle-Oodle is NOT Sweet Georgia chances. I couid tell you which tune it is, but it would be good for you to figure it out. Al and Zoot, the Kings of the swing tenors

@28handcraft zoot plays a radio improved as far as i know

The drums aren't loud enough.......

@soulfullyanointed A lot of truth in what you say. However, what about Eric Alexander? He can be pretty tough.

And before anyone picks me up on it, Rick Laird's Irish, not British...

"What the World Needs Now Is Love" (not Cool of the Evening)

@28handcraft haha ok thanks i didn't know that

@28handcraft - What tune do you say now?

Nine fools to put that clip down...?? Come on...

No expert but do they effortlessly slide into a latin rythmn in the middle eight??

@28handcraft - Nope. Still not it. Hint: Count the number of bars.

phenomenal horn players who never got their due with the jive ass critics..

because all the people that play it today aren't as good as the old guys.

Flea :D

what song is this?

@zheopharyx flea sent me here

You are wright my friend....Zoot Sims was a BAD tenor player. I saw Al Cohn in New york city in the 80's playing a duo with Lew tabaquin and they were smoking man!

@terrymod Lol!

twin you know you can't win. selling flowers aB RIXTON TUBE

5 stars, bitches.

@LordViczerez You're right in a way, sry if sounded sarcasitic, guess it's this whole internet anger thing...anyways, the thing today is that you have to look a little more underground to find music. But when there, it is a lot to be found. I think people are being unfair towards todays music, for those who really make it for real. You can't compare todays best sellings to the best in quality from the past. There was a lot of terrible music around in the past as well.