Zoot Sims - Zoot Sims in France: Live and Unissued Recordings (Remastered) (2025) (Hi-Res)

Between 1950 and 1961, Zoot Sims forged a deep and lasting connection with France, returning frequently to perform, record, and immerse himself in the Parisian jazz scene. This album includes rare and previously unreleased recordings of three key moments in that relationship: a swing filled live session from the 1958 Cannes Jazz Festival with the Walter Davis Trio; a vibrant performance at Paris’s Blue Note Club in 1960 with a topshelf rhythm section that included two Frenchmen, pianist Maurice Vander and bassist Pierre Michelot, along with two Americans, guitarist Jimmy Gourley and drummer Kenny Clarke; and two unreleased early 1961 studio sessions under pianist Henri Renaud: one with a specially assembled saxophone section, the other in a swinging quintet format. These tracks capture Zoot’s lyrical warmth and natural swing at their peak, offering a vivid portrait of his deep affinity with the French jazz scene.

Personnel:

Tracks #1-4: ZOOT SIMS with The WALTER DAVIS Jr. Trio
Zoot Sims, tenor sax; Walter Davis Jr., piano; Doug Watkins, bass; Art Taylor, drums.
Live at the “Festival de Jazz de Cannes,” July 11, 1958

Tracks #5-9: ZOOT SIMS Quintet
Zoot Sims, tenor sax; Maurice Vander, piano; Jimmy Gourley, guitar; Pierre Michelot, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums.
Live at the “Blue Note” club in Paris, December 3, 1960

Tracks #10-11: ZOOT SIMS with HENRI RENAUD and His Sax Ensemble
Zoot Sims, tenor sax; George Bessières, alto sax; Jean-Louis Chautemps and José Germain, tenor saxes; William Boucaya, baritone sax; Henri Renaud, piano; Michel Gaudry, bass; Philippe Combelle, drums.
Studio session, recorded in Paris, January 1961

Tracks #12-15: ZOOT SIMS with The HENRI RENAUD Quartet
Zoot Sims, tenor sax; Henri Renaud, piano; Jimmy Gourley, guitar; Michel Gaudry, bass; Philippe Combelle, drums.
Studio session, recorded in Paris, February 1961

This CD release produced by Jordi Pujol
Special thanks to Christian Dangleterre
© 2025 by Fresh Sound Records

Mono · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered

—Jordi Pujol

Tracklist
01. Emcee Sim Copans introduces Zoot Sims 0:28
02. Algo Bueno (Woody’n You) (Dizzy Gillespie) 4:48
03. It Had to Be You (Jones-Kahn) 5:06
04. I'll Remember April (Raye-DePaul-Johnston) 7:44
05. The Red Door (Zoot Sims) 3:42
06. Autumn Leaves (Prevert-Kosma-Mercer) 3:37
07. Gone with the Wind (Magidson-Wrubel) 3:07
08. Willow Weep for Me (Ann Ronell) 3:26
09. Love for Sale (Cole Porter) —incomplete— 1:29
10. Something for Lester (alias Daniel’s Blues) (Henri Renaud) 5:47
11. Pasco (dedicated to Jimmy Gourley) (Henri Renaud) 2:57
12. Indian Summer [Take 1] (Herbert-Dubin) 6:19
13. What's New? (Burke-Haggart) 4:17
14. Too Close for Comfort (Weiss-Bock-Holofcener) 3:21
15. Indian Summer [Take 2] (Herbert-Dubin) 5:34