In Copenhagen - Zoot Sims

We Say...

Review by Britt Robson

One of the more underrated tenor players in jazz history, Zoot Sims is most often cited either in the context of being one of a quartet of saxophonists (aka the “Four Brothers”) for Woody Herman’s band, or alongside fellow saxophonist Al Cohn in the quintet they co-led. But superb outings like this live date in Denmark — featuring no-frills, swing-bop renditions of standards, with Sims holding forth as the only horn — demonstrate the depth and flair of his talent as an independent stylist. On the opening track, Sims ebulliently tears through the changes of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Groovin’ High,” bouncing, veering and dropping in the occasional modulated shimmy as he tows a top-notch rhythm section along like cans on the back of a “Just Married” limousine.

Nine minutes of the hoary standard “All the Things You Are” slip away effortlessly as Sims goes into full “Pres” mode, with a suave, dulcet tone reminiscent of Lester Young. Ditto eight minutes of the standard “I’ll Remember April” where Sims conflates bop and swing like it's second nature, with stops and starts (abrupt and extended notes) and pirouettes and pivots knitted into fleet, giddy phrases that evoke spring fever. The rhythm section is none too shabby either, with Niels Orsted-Pedersen prominent yet supportive a la Ray Brown or Richard Davis; Kenny Drew comping beautiful in accompaniment and soloing with panache; and drummer Ed Thigpen battening down any stray rhythmic seams. When Sims hits his stride 30 seconds into “It’s Alright With Me,” perfectly tailored by Drew’s comping, Pedersen’s walking and Thigpen’s bristling cymbal work, the tune could go in a time capsule, labeled “toe-tapping music from the mid-20th Century.”