John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big band, afterward enjoying a long solo career, often in partnership with fellow saxmen
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
performers Kate Haley and John Sims. His father was a vaudeville
hoofer
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...
, and Sims prided himself on remembering many of the steps his father taught him. Growing up in a performing family, he learned to play drums and clarinet at an early age. His brother was the trombonist
Ray Sims
Ray C. Sims (January 18, 1921, Wichita - 2000) was an American jazz trombonist. He was the brother of Zoot Sims.
Sims played in territory bands in the early 1940s, then recorded with Anita O'Day and Benny Goodman shortly after the end of Worl ...
.
Sims began on tenor saxophone at age 13. He initially modelled his playing on the work of Lester Young, Ben Webster, and Don Byas. By his late teens, having dropped out of high school, he was playing in big bands, starting with those of Kenny Baker and
Bobby Sherwood
Robert J. Sherwood Jr. (May 30, 1914 – January 23, 1981) was an American guitarist, trumpeter, bandleader, and radio host.
Early years
Sherwood's parents were Bob and Gail Sherwood. When they lived in Kokomo, Indiana, he operated a movie th ...
. He joined
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...
's band for the first time in 1943 (he was to rejoin in 1946, and continued to perform with Goodman on occasion through the early 1970s). Sims replaced Ben Webster in Sid Catlett's Quartet of 1944. In May 1944, Sims made his recording debut for
Commodore Records
Commodore Records was an American independent record label known for producing Dixieland jazz and swing. It is also remembered for releasing Billie Holiday's hit " Strange Fruit".
History
Commodore Records was founded in the spring of 1938 by Mi ...
in a sextet led by pianist Joe Bushkin, who two months earlier had recorded for the same label as part of Lester Young's Kansas City Six.
Sims served as a corporal in the
United States Army Air Force
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War I ...
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...
's sextet, and in the early 1960s, with Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band. Sims played on some of Jack Kerouac's recordings. From the late 1950s to the end of his life, Sims was primarily a freelancer, though he worked frequently in the 1960s and early 1970s with a group co–led with Al Cohn. In the 1970s and 1980s, he also played and recorded regularly with a handful of other musical partners including Bucky Pizzarelli,
Joe Venuti
Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist.
Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie L ...
, and Jimmy Rowles. In 1975, he began recording for Norman Granz's
Pablo Records
Pablo Records was a jazz record company and label founded by Norman Granz in 1973, more than a decade after he had sold his earlier catalog (including Verve Records) to MGM Records.
Pablo initially featured recordings by acts that Granz manag ...
label. Sims appeared on more than 20 Pablo albums, mostly as a featured solo artist, but also as a backing musician for artists including Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, and Clark Terry. Between 1974 and 1983, Sims recorded six studio albums with pianist Jimmy Rowles in a quartet setting that critic Scott Yanow wrote feature Sims at his best.
Sims acquired the nickname "Zoot" early in his career while he was in the Kenny Baker band in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. "When he joined Kenny Baker's band as a fifteen-year-old
tenor saxophonist
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...
, each of the music stands was embellished with a nonsense word. The one he sat behind said 'Zoot.' That became his name."
Sims played a 30-second solo on the song " Poetry Man", written by singer Phoebe Snow on her debut eponymous album in 1974. He also played on Laura Nyro's "Lonely Women", on her album ''
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' is the second album by New York City-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro, released in 1968.
History
Nyro premiered some of the songs that were to appear on the album at the 1967 Monterey Pop Fe ...
''.
Sims' last studio recording was a November, 1984 trio session featuring bassist
Red Mitchell
Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet.
Biography
Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz b ...
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'', March 24, 1985. Retrieved February 1, 2013. and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, in Nyack, New York.
Discography
1949–1955
* 1950: ''The Zoot Sims Quartet in Paris'' (Discovery, 1950)
* 1950–51: ''Swinging with Zoot'' ( Prestige, 1951)
* 1950–51: ''Tenor Sax Favorites'' (Prestige, 1951)
* 1949–52: '' The Brothers'' (Prestige, 1956) with
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre ...
* 1952: ''Contemporary Music'' as Zoot Sims All Stars (Prestige, 1953) – also released as ''Zoot Sims All Stars'' (Esquire)
* 1950–54: ''Zoot Sims Quintet'' (Prestige, 1954) with Stu Williamson – reissued as ''Good Old Zoot'' (New Jazz, 1962)(LP)
* 1950–54: ''Zootcase'' ( Prestige, 1975)(2 LP)
* 1954?: ''Zoot Simms In Hollywood'' (New Jazz, 1954)
* 1954: ''Happy Minors'' (
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...
, 1955) with
Red Mitchell
Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet.
Biography
Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz b ...
, Bob Brookmeyer
* 1955: ''Playing'' as Hall Daniels' Septet (Jump, 1955) – reissued as ''Nash–Ville'' (Zim, 1977) with Dick Nash
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's ...
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
, 1957) with Al Cohn
* 1956: ''
Tonite's Music Today
''Tonite's Music Today'' is an album by saxophonist Zoot Sims and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer recorded in 1956 for the Storyville label.Whooeeee
''Whooeeee'' (also released as ''Today's Jazz'' and ''Morning Fun'') is an album by the Zoot Sims-Bob Brookmeyer Quintet recorded in 1956 for the Storyville label.
'' (Storyville, 1956) with Bob Brookmeyer
* 1956: ''Zoot Sims Avec Henri Renaud Et Son Orchestre Et Jon Eardley'' (Ducretet–Thomson, 1956) with Henri Renaud Et Son Orchestre and Jon Eardley
* 1956: ''Zoot'' ( Argo Records, 1957)
* 1956: ''
Zoot!
''Zoot!'' (also released as ''Zoot Sims Quintet'') is an album by American jazz saxophonist Zoot Sims featuring tracks recorded in 1956 for the Riverside label.Riverside, 1957)
* 1956: '' Tenor Conclave'' (Prestige, 1957) with John Coltrane, Al Cohn,
Hank Mobley
Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to de ...
,
Red Garland
William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of playing in j ...
, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor
* 1956: ''Goes to Jazzville'' (Dawn, 1957)
* 1956: ''Live at Falcon Lair'' (Pablo, 2004) with
Joe Castro
Joseph Armand Castro (August 15, 1927 – December 13, 2009) was an American bebop jazz pianist, based primarily on the West Coast of the United States.
Biography
Castro was born in Miami, Arizona on August 15, 1927. Castro began playing profess ...
Trio
* 1956: ''Zoot Sims Plays Alto, Tenor, and Baritone'' (ABC–Paramount, 1957)
* 1956–57: ''Bohemia After Dark'' (Jazz Hour, 1994)
* 1957: '' The Four Brothers... Together Again!'' (Vik, 1957) with Herbie Steward et al.
* 1957: ''
Al and Zoot
''Al and Zoot'' is an album by the Al Cohn Quintet featuring Zoot Sims recorded in 1957 for the Coral label.Coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...
, 1957) with Al Cohn
* 1957: '' Locking Horns'' (Rama, 1957) with Joe Newman
* 1957–58: ''Happy Over Hoagy'' (Jass, 1987) with Al Cohn Septet – complete session plus 1961 live date with Mose Allison was released as ''The Hoagy Carmichael Sessions And More'' (Lone Hill Jazz, 2004)
* 1958: '' Stretching Out'' (
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...
, 1959) with Bob Brookmeyer et al.
* 1954–59: ''Choice'' (
Pacific Jazz
Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...
, 1959) with Al Cohn and Phil Woods – live
* 1959?: ''A Gasser!'' (World Pacific, 1959) with Annie Ross
1960–1969
* 1959–60: ''Either Way'' (Fred Miles, 1961) with Al Cohn
* 1960: '' You 'n' Me'' (Mercury, 1960) with Al Cohn
* 1960: '' Down Home'' (
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...
, 1960)
* 1961: '' Either Way'' (Fred Miles Presents, 1961) with Al Cohn
* 1961: ''Zoot at Ronnie Scott's'' (
Fontana
Fontana may refer to:
Places
Italy
*Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone
*Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone
*Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino
*Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi
* ...
, 1962)
* 1961: ''Solo for Zoot'' (Fontana, 1962)
* 1962?: ''New Beat Bossa Nova Means The Samba Swings'' ( Colpix, 1962)
* 1962?: ''New Beat Bossa Nova Vol. 2'' (Colpix, 1962)
* 1964: '' Two Jims and Zoot'' ( Mainstream, 1964) with Jimmy Raney and Jim Hall – also released as ''Outra Vez''
* 1965: '' Inter-Action'' (
Cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
, 1965) with Sonny Stitt
* 1965: ''Suitably Zoot'' (Pumpkin, 1979)
* 1965: ''Al and Zoot in London'' (World Record Club, 1967) with Al Cohn
* 1965: ''At the Half Note Again'' – not officially released
* 1966: '' Waiting Game'' ( Impulse!, 1966)
* 1967: '' The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World'' ( Pablo, 1975)
* 1968: ''Easy as Pie: Live at the Left Bank'' (Label M, 2001) with Al Cohn
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...
, 1973) with Al Cohn
* 1973: ''Zoot Suite'' (High Note, 2007) – live audience recording
* 1973: ''Joe & Zoot'' (
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
, 1974) with
Joe Venuti
Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist.
Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie L ...
– expanded reissue as ''Joe & Zoot & More'' (
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
, 2002)
* 1974: ''Zoot Sims' Party'' (Choice, 1974) – released as ''Getting Sentimental'' (Candid, 1997) on CD
* 1974: ''
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...
'' (Groove Merchant, 1974) with Bucky Pizzarelli and special guest Buddy Rich – reissued as ''Somebody Loves Me'' (Lester Recording Catalog, 2003)
* 1974: ''Strike Up the Band'' (Flying Dutchman, 1975) with Bobby Hackett and Bucky Pizzarelli
* 1974: ''Dave McKenna Quartet Featuring Zoot Sims'' (
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...
and
Joe Pass
Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...
Rune Gustafsson
Rune Urban Gustafsson (25 August 1933 – 15 June 2012) was a Swedish jazz guitarist and composer. He performed with Arne Domnérus, Jan Johansson, and Zoot Sims among others.
Life and career
Rune Gustafsson was born in 1933 in Gothenburg. ...
1980–1985
* 1979–80: ''The Swinger'' (Pablo, 1981)
* 1979–80: ''Passion Flower: Zoot Sims Plays Duke Ellington'' (Pablo, 1980)
* 1981: ''I Wish I Were Twins'' (Pablo, 1981) with Jimmy Rowles
* 1981: '' Art 'n' Zoot'' (Pablo, 1995) with Art Pepper
* 1982: ''The Innocent Years'' (Pablo, 1982) as The Zoot Sims Four
* 1982: ''Blues for Two'' (Pablo, 1983) with
Joe Pass
Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...
* 1983: ''On The Korner'' (Pablo, 1994) – the last recording at The
Keystone Korner
Keystone Korner was a jazz club in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, which opened in 1972 and continued operation until 1983. Many live recordings were made at the club. Jessica Williams was the house pianist for a number of years. ...
* 1983: ''Suddenly It's Spring'' (Pablo, 1983)
* 1984: ''Quietly There: Zoot Sims Plays Johnny Mandel'' (Pablo, 1984) – compositions of
Johnny Mandel
John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...
Compilations
* ''The Best of Zoot Sims'' (Pablo, 1980)
* ''That Old Feeling'' (Chess, 1995) – double–issue CD of two 1956 albums: ''Zoot'' and ''Zoot Sims Plays Alto, Tenor, and Baritone''
As sideman
With
Pepper Adams
Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a ...
* ''
Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus
''Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus'', is an album by baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams featuring Quintet and Octet performances of Charles Mingus' compositions which was recorded in 1963 and originally released on the Motown s ...
'' (Workshop Jazz, 1964) – recorded in 1963
* '' Encounter!'' (Prestige, 1969) – recorded in 1968
With
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".
Baker earned much attention and ...
The Sax Section
''The Sax Section'' (subtitled ''The Jazz Workshop Under the Direction of Al Cohn'') is an album by saxophonist composer and arranger Al Cohn recorded in 1956 for the Epic label.Son of Drum Suite'' (RCA Victor, 1960)
* '' Jazz Mission to Moscow'' (Colpix, 1962)
With Quincy Jones
* ''
This Is How I Feel About Jazz
''This Is How I Feel About Jazz'' is a 1957 album by American musician Quincy Jones, his first full-length album as a bandleader after a recording debut with the 1955 split album ''Jazz Abroad''.
Jones arranged and conducted three recording ses ...
'' (ABC-Paramount, 1957) – recorded in 1956-57
* ''
The Birth of a Band!
''The Birth of a Band!'' is an album by Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury with performances by Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, and Phil Woods.
'' (Mercury, 1959)
* ''
Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini
''Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' is an album by Quincy Jones that contains music composed by Henry Mancini.
Track listing
All music composed by Henry Mancini, lyricists indicated
# "Baby Elephant Walk" – 2:49
# " Charade" ...
Something to Swing About
''Something to Swing About'' is a 1960 album by jazz singer Carmen McRae, arranged by Ernie Wilkins.
Reception
The initial ''Billboard'' magazine review from January 1960 wrote that "McRae fans are going to like this and the gal can easily ma ...
'' (Kapp, 1960) – recorded in 1959
* '' Ms. Jazz'' (Groove Merchant, 1974) – recorded in 1973
With
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...
The Sound of Feeling
''The Sound of Feeling'' (full title ''Leonard Feather Presents The Sound of Feeling and The Sound of Oliver Nelson'') is a jazz album featuring two separate groups featuring Oliver Nelson recorded in late 1966 and released on the Verve label.
'' (Verve, 1968) – recorded in 1966-67
With Sarah Vaughan
* ''
Vaughan and Violins
''Vaughan and Violins'' is a 1959 album by Sarah Vaughan, orchestrated and conducted by Quincy Jones.
Reception
The AllMusic review by Dave Nathan awarded the album four and a half stars and said that "these sessions catch Sarah Vaughan at he ...
Trigger Alpert
Herman "Trigger" Alpert (September 3, 1916 – December 21, 2013) was an American jazz bassist from Indianapolis, Indiana.
Music career
A native of Indianapolis, Alpert attended Indiana University, where he studied music. Soon after, he played ...
Louis Bellson Quintet
''Louis Bellson Quintet'' (also released as ''Concerto for Drums by Louis Bellson'') is an album by American jazz drummer Louis Bellson featuring performances recorded in 1954 for the Verve Records, Norgran label.Clifford Brown
Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car accident, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Spring", an ...
, ''Jazz Immortal'' (Pacific Jazz, 2001) – recorded in 1954
*
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
Jazz Is Universal
''Jazz Is Universal'' is an album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring performances recorded in Germany in 1961 for the Atlantic label. The album was the first by the Big Band although earlier recordings by Kenny Clarke and Francy ...
'' (Atlantic, 1962) – recorded in 1961
*
Chris Connor
Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer.
Biography
Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...
, ''
Chris Connor
Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer.
Biography
Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...
'' (Atlantic, 1956)
*
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
Booker Ervin
Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...
, '' The Book Cooks'' (Bethlehem, 1961) – recorded in 1960
*
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
, '' Loose Blues'' (Milestone, 1982) – recorded in 1962
*
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...
Curtis Fuller
Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings.
Early life
Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 19 ...
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
Stan Levey
Adolph Stanley Levey known professionally as Stan Levey (April 5, 1926 – April 19, 2005) was an American jazz drummer. He was known for working with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the early development of bebop during the 1940s, and in ...
and
Red Mitchell
Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet.
Biography
Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz b ...
Metronome All-Stars
The Metronome All-Stars were a collection of jazz musicians assembled for studio recordings by ''Metronome Magazine'', based on its readers' polls. The studio sessions were held in the years 1939-42, 1946–53, and 1956, and typically consisted of ...
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians an ...
Red Mitchell
Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet.
Biography
Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz b ...
Arranged by Montrose
''Jack Montrose Sextet'' is an album by saxophonist Jack Montrose recorded in 1954 for the Pacific Jazz label.Anita O'Day, ''
All the Sad Young Men
''All the Sad Young Men'' is the third collection of short stories written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published by Scribners in February 1926.
Composition
Fitzgerald wrote the stories at a time of disillusionment. He was in financial difficulty ...
'' (Verve, 1962) – recorded in 1961
*
Bob Prince
Robert Ferris Prince (July 1, 1916 – June 10, 1985) was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator, best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the ...
Lalo Schifrin
Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical eleme ...
Johnny Smith
Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Early life
During the Great D ...
Broadway Soul
''Broadway Soul'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Stitt recorded in 1965 and released on the Colpix label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MColpix Album Discography, Part 1 (SCP-400 Popular Music Series)accessed January 8, 2013
Reception
Scott Yanow o ...
Joe Venuti
Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist.
Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie L ...
, ''The Joe Venuti Blue Four'' (Chiaroscuro, 1974)
* Chuck Wayne, '' The Jazz Guitarist'' (Savoy, 1956) – recorded in 1953