Zoot Sims - Baden Baden '58 Lost Tapes (Remastered) (2018) [Hi-Res]

In 1958 Sims played with Benny Goodman at Expo ‘58 in Brussels, where he met the Viennese-born Hans Koller, then Europe’s coolest tenor sax.. Two years earlier Sims had made a Blue Note recording with the German pianist Jutta Hipp and he was keen to meet other European jazz musicians. So Jo Berendt, head of the jazz department at the then SWF, invited the two to a studio concert, supplementing the horn section with Adi Feuerstein and Gerd Husemann (fl , ts), Willie Dennis (tb) and Helmut Brandt (bs).; The ensemble also featured Hans Hammerschmid on piano, Peter Trunk on bass and on drums Kenny Clarke, who had quit the Modern Jazz Quartet and moved to Paris.

What you get with Zoot Sims in Baden-Baden is a single jam session in which each number features a different lineup and instrumentation: Sims and Koller on tenor sax get in the frame with All The Things You Are, before switching to clarinet for Minor Meeting For Two Clarinets. Sims‘ brilliant interpretations of Allen‘s Alley and Tangerine are met with the nimble, elegant ripostes of Koller’s Fallin‘ In Love and Brandt’s I Surrender Dear. Blue Night (featuring a six-piece horn section) is a number which beguilingly alternates between big band and ensemble jazz. The same goes for Open Door, in which Kenny Clarke urges the ensemble inexorably onwards with every bar, and the alto saxophone of Zoot Sims briefly opens the door to allow the sound of the day – bebop – to flood the studio.

"Germany's Jazzhaus label claims to be sitting on one of the biggest treasure troves of unreleased live material by jazz artists dating back as far as 1949. Previous excellent volumes by Cannonball Adderley, Albert Mangelsdorff, Dizzy Gillespie, and others have proven them true to their word. The source material for these recordings is German radio and television programs, but the sound on these sets is consistently very high quality. This jam session date from Zoot Sims in 1958, in what was then West Germany, finds him in the company of four German or Austrian reed players, American trombonist Willie Dennis, and a more than capable rhythm section consisting of drummer Kenny Clarke, bassist Peter Trunk, and pianist Hans Hammerschmid. Sims, who plays on all but three tracks -- on either tenor, alto, or clarinet -- is in absolutely top form, swinging like mad even on nuggets such as "Tangerine" and the blindingly fast "Alan's Alley," where his is the only horn. His tone is clean yet earthy, while his phrasing is lyric, fluid, and propulsive: an anomaly early in the 21st century. Other highlights, for him, include two Hammerschmid originals' "Blue Night" and "Open Door," as well as his own "Trottin'," that closes out the set. The only problem here is with Jazzhaus' documentation -- there's a notable error in Hans Koller's vehicle. Though it is actually “They Say It’s Wonderful,” it is credited as Richard Rodgers' "Fallin’ in Love” (the composer's name is misspelled on the sleeve as well). While this is an irritant, it's a small one; these recordings are well worth purchasing for their quality. This one is a fantastic reminder of Sims' greatness." (Thom Jurek, AMG)

John Haley "Zoot" Sims, saxophone
Hans Koller, saxophone
Willie Dennis, trombone
Adi Feuerstein, flute
Gerd Husemann, flute
Helmut Brandt, flute
Hans Hammerschmid, piano
Peter Trunk, piano
Kenny Clarke, percussion

Digitally remastered