Zoot Sims was a great tenor saxophone player, who produced the most beautiful sound from the instrument. He was a lyrical player, but could swing like crazy. If there is a heaven above I know Zoot is up their.
What a beautiful tune. I purchased this album when it came out in '84 and everyone who heard me play it loved the music and asked me about Zoot Sims. He made a lot of new fans with this gorgeous album. God Rest his Soul.
A gorgeous rendering of a gorgeous Johnny Mandel tune. Like many comments on this site Zoot and Stan Getz were my two favourite Tenor Sax players. Such a great shame they are no longer with us but what a superb legacy they left jazz lovers. RIP Stan and Zoot.
Zoot Sims I had the pleasure to listen together with Stan Getz in Rome in 65 was another of the great sax tenors that I have always said. Stan and Sims were my two great masters, technical enough with a voice to real tenors like I like it. Benny
I've been listening to jazz for more than 50 years. This is the most compelling version of this 1960's standard I've ever heard. Zoot's improvisations really capture the emotion of the tune perfectly. I own it on CD. It's a really nice release. And, Johnny Mandel was a very talented composer and arranger. His swing arrangements on the Sinatra album Ring A Ding Ding are fantastic. Getting back to the tenor sax, one of the most underrated players is Nino Tempo. He's in the same league, in my view, as Zoot Sims and Stan Getz.
Thanks Debb for the comment. Yes, he's extremely smooth. Listening to his albums, I always feel that he did not play, but he did sing using the instrument as his own vocal cords.
I'm an Eb guy; alto & bari. But if I were a tenor player, as much as I love Dexter Gordon, I'd rather sound like Zoot or Stan and I can't pick between those two.
