Zoot Sims plays Alto, Tenor and Baritone  ABC-Paramount Records  (1956)  With John Williams (p), Knobby Totah (b), Gus Johnson (d)  Music by George Handy.  Bob Brookmeyer describes the power of Zoot’s playing:   “Zoot plays earthy.  He is direct, simple, logical, and above all, emotional”.   Here Zoot blows alto, tenor and baritone saxophones in unison, opening and closing passages, and soloing individually on each horn.  Dom Cerulli, in his highly enthusiastic review in Down beat, said: “Handy’s writing is as constantly alive and imaginative, as Zoot’s playing is forceful and swinging.”

I remember where I bought this LP as I surprisingly often do when pulling one down from the shelf.  Funny that.  This one came from the only used record store in Key West on a short trip I took there in 1986.  It was on the wall next to a Sun Ra on Saturn that I also picked up that day.  Then it was off to Duval street for a beer and Pepe’s for oysters.  Sometimes a record can bring it all back.

(26 votes, average: 2.96 out of 5)

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