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It was said of tenor-saxophonist Zoot Sims that he could fall out of bed and still be swinging. Throughout his career, Sims never played a dull or unswinging chorus. Bucky Pizzarelli has always been known as one of the most tasteful of guitarists and the type of musician who plays the perfect chord for every spot. In 1976 they teamed together for a little-known set of duets which is reissued as this superb Classic Jazz CD.
Born in 1925, John Haley “Zoot” Sims was part of a family that performed in vaudeville. After playing drums and clarinet, at 13 he switched to tenor. Originally inspired by Lester Young, Sims was a professional by the time he was 15. He worked with Bobby Sherwood's orchestra and with Benny Goodman in 1943, making his recording debut with pianist Joe Buskin the following year. After serving in the Army and being with Goodman's big band during 1946-47, Sims was one of the “Four Brothers” in Woody Herman's Second Herd (1947-49) which gave him his first bit of fame. He spent brief periods with the big bands of Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw (his bop orchestra of 1949), Elliot Lawrence and Stan Kenton (1953), also working on and off for years with Goodman and Gerry Mulligan. In addition, he had a long-time musical partnership with fellow tenor-saxophonist Al Cohn. Sims seemed to improve with age and during the 1970s was at the peak of his powers.
Bucky Pizzarelli, who was born a year after Sims, was self-taught and mastered the seven-string guitar which made it possible for him to play bass lines along with his guitar chords. He worked primarily in the studios during the 1940s, '50s and '60s although, like Sims, he was a member of Benny Goodman's bands on several occasions. Inspired by the swing guitar styles of Carl Kress, Dick McDonough and George Van Eps, Pizzarelli emerged more often in the 1970s to play on jazz dates, including with George Barnes, Bud Freeman and Stephane Grappelli. The father of John Pizzarelli, Bucky is still active today while in his mid-80s.
Review
"The combination of Zoot Sims and Bucky Pizzarelli works perfectly throughout this set. Playing a few standards plus some basic originals that utilize familiar chord changes, they jam happily together. Zoot swings while Bucky plays beautiful chords behind him and emerges to take some heated solos of his own. The results are quite exquisite and joyful, bringing out the best in both masterful players." –Scott Yanow
"Tenor-saxophonist Zoot Sims was always famous for being able to swing hard under any setting. Guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, a very tasteful player influenced by the great swing guitarists (particularly Carl Kress and Dick McDonough), has long been known for making every note count. While Sims and Pizzarelli crossed musical paths many times throughout the years (Including with Benny Goodman), this Classic Jazz reissue from 1976 was their only session as a duo. Performing jazz standards and a few originals that utilize familiar chord changes, Zoot and Bucky generate a great deal of heat, joy, and (not too surprisingly) swing during these infectous jams." -Scott Yanow
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