Zoot Sims Quartet: Getting Sentimental

Anyone who reads this magazine needs a little Zoot Sims now and then, and this reissue from 1974, with Jimmy Rowles on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey (“The Stoker”) Roker on drums will supply a good fix. This is classic Zoot-I think my grandmother could have passed a blindfold test with this recording-finding him relaxed and blowing hard. Recorded “on location” in a friend’s living room near Long Island Sound, the ambiance must have been conducive to making jazz happen. The prime cut is Tom Satterfield’s “Restless,” but Zoot also captivates on soprano with a steamy “Caravan.”

Originally Published October 1, 1997