The National Public Radio Jazz Profiles program about Zoot Sims is now up on NPR’s web site in streaming audio.
The show produced by Paul Conley and hosted by Nancy Wilson includes memories of the great saxophonist by Bob Brookmeyer, Dave Frishberg, Bill Holman, Harry Allen, Bucky Pizzarelli, Zoot’s wife Louise and me. It also has plenty of music. To hear it, go here and click on “Listen Now.”
For a recent Rifftides piece on Sims and his tenor sax companion Al Cohn, go here. It includes a link to a performance video.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
Thanks Doug for the Zoot link. Super broadcast, one to keep. I’m going to mention the link from you on my site.A must for any jazz listener.
Made me want to revisit my Zoot collection.
Thanks, Dave and Doug, for what you say about Zoot in this NPR tribute — so eloquent, and precisely true.
Those were nights for imperishable memories in the 70s with all of my heroes in various combinations — at the Half Note in NY and/or at Blues Alley in DC — Zoot, Al, Joe Pass, Rowles, Mraz, Mousey Alexander,Victor Sproles, Ross Tompkins.
The “BG in Copenhagen” vinyl (2 disks) illustrates perfectly how Zoot would get things up to speed and then Benny would “surf the wave” that Zoot had created.