Zoot Sims on Prestige (VI)

Straight ahead  mid-'50s swinging bop, this era was heralded as the transition from swing to bop, but my, does it swing.  The pairing of Zoot Sims and Phil Woods is magnificent, both bursting with unstoppable high energy flow, powered along by a driving rhythm section.

It is a complete delight to follow the solos, which seem to over-run their allotted time, but no problem, both Woods and Sims are great. Though Woods is beautiful,  Zoot stands as  a bridge between the old school of tenor players and the new, and it is Sims that has The Force with him.

There have been at least three Prestige issues of this recording under different leader names and album titles, which highlights the label's acute sensitivity to the  changing standing of different artists – Jon Eardley, Phil Woods and Zoot Sims.

The original PRLP 7033 featured The Jon Eardley Seven. Seriously classic cover art.

A second issue of PRLP 7033 appeared, but retitled Down East.  Zoot Sims now heads the list of artists, Woods at No.2, Eardley demoted to third billing, but gets capital letters to soften the blow. Both versions are frequently touted as "original".

A third reissue (which is presented here) was released in 1965, under the main name of Zoot Sims and titled Koo Koo. Rudy Van Gelder must have gone back and re-mastered this recording for Prestige sometime in the early/mid ’60s, intended for the New Jazz label, but a business decision was made to put it out on Status, with a third cover,  design and photo by Don Schlitten. *londonjazzcollector.com*

Zoot Sims

with Phil Woods and Jon Eardley

Koo Koo

When this record was made, however, sessions were still being held with some kind of regularity around town. Budding young jazzmen like Phil Woods and Jon Eardley were always eager to play, especially if they were not working, an attitude that is out of vogue today. Although Sims was an established star, he was always anxious for a session. Just as he had for Lloyd, Gerry Mulligan, and George Wallington in the late '40s, he made the sessions go for Woods, Eardley, and George Syran in the '50s. The younger musicians looked up to him, and this, coupled with the urgency of his blowing, made them outdo themselves. 

This, recording was done in a period when Zoot had returned from almost two years) in California. First he played with Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan in the set at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival which marked Miles' "comeback", and then he became a member of Gerry's sextet which also included Jon Eardley.

Eardley and Woods had already recorded two 10-inch LPs for Prestige. The rhythm section for these dates was Syran, Teddy Kotick, and Nick Stabulas. When Koo Koo was recorded, everyone in the studio knew each other well in the kind of familiarity that definitely does not breed contempt. Trombonist Milty Gold, a native Pennsylvanian like Eardley, had worked with the big bands of Herbie Fields, Buddy Rich, Claude Thornhill, Elliott Lawrence, Stan Kenton and Pete Rugolo. He also was with the sextet that backed Anita O'Day in the late '40s. As one who was around the New York area from that time, he participated in many informal sessions with the other musicians on this date.

The arrangements are just right for this kind of a blowing session. They have substance, and yet never impede the flow of the soloists. The lines, as stated by an interweaving of the trumpet and alto team with the trombone-tenor tandem, have an inner swing, while the backgrounds for the horn soloists act as a spur.

It's good to have these tracks available once again. They demonstrate how Zoot Sims and Phil Woods were taking care of business in the mid-Fifties. They are still very active today, as are Teddy Kotick and Nick Stabulas. However, less has been heard from the other principals involved. George Syran has been playing gigs in supper clubs and east side lounges in New York, but does not record. Jon Eardley was off the scene for a spell but is reported to be playing in Europe now. Milty Gold has been inactive professionally, of late. Perhaps we will be hearing more from these three in the near future. This recording proves that their capabilities warrant renewed attention.

*Ira Gitler (liner notes, November 1964)*

Side 1

1 - Leap Year

(Syran)

2 - There's No You

(Hopper)

3 - On The Minute

(Eardley)

Side 2

4 - Ladders

(Eardley)

5 - Koo Koo

(Eardley)

6 - Eard's Word

(Woods)

Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Phil Woods (alto sax), Jon Eardley (trumpet), 

Milt Gold (trombone), George Syran (piano), Teddy Kotick (bass), Nick Stabulas (drums).

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, January 13, 1956.