John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 - March 23, 1985) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and soprano saxophonist.
He was born in Inglewood, California. Growing up in a vaudeville family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age. His father was a vaudeville hoofer, and Sims prided himself on remembering many of the steps his father taught him.
Following in the footsteps of Lester Young, Sims developed into an innovative tenor saxophonist. Throughout his career, he played with renowned bands, including Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. Sims was also one of Woody Herman's "Four Brothers", and he was known among his peers as one of the strongest swingers in the field. He frequently led his own combos and sometimes toured with his friend Gerry Mulligan's sextet, and later with Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band.
In the 1950s and 60s Sims had a long, successful partnership as co-leader of a quintet with Al Cohn, which recorded under the name ...
Created by dipity
on Jan 31, 2008
Last updated: 03/11/10 at 08:30 AM
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