1. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
2. I'll remember April
3. Jean
4. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me/In a Mellotone
5. In the Middle of a Kiss
6. Love for Sale
7. Emily
Zoot Sims- Soprano sax, tenor sax
Noel Kelehan - Piano
Jimmy McKay - Bass
John Wadham - Drums
One
of the ways that jazz musicians make a living
is to travel around, playing in clubs and
pubs with local rhythm sections. Sometimes
this can be a trial for the visiting musician,
who is saddled with an unsuitable backing
group. Thankfully, that was not the case when
American saxophonist Zoot Sims visited Dublin
for the Kilkenny Arts Festival in 1978. The
rhythm section is not only competent but sometimes
remarkably impressive. Pianist Noel Kelehan
is a fine accompanist and soloist, while drummer
John Wadham provides good old-fashioned swing
and some shapely solos. Bassist Jimmy McKay
is recorded rather low down in the mix but
he fulfils his role efficiently.
This
is one a series of previously-unreleased albums
recorded in Dublin, and it makes one look
forward to future releases. Zoot Sims plays
soprano and tenor saxes with his usual relaxed
charm, and he chooses some good tunes, like
the little-known Jean and the more
familiar Emily - both gentle, melodic
waltzes. The faster tunes swing as well, with
Sims making his sax sound like a clarinet
on Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (or
was he actually playing the clarinet? - no
such instrument is mentioned on the sleeve).
There are some of those awkward moments that
often occur when the soloist has never played
with the rhythm section before. Do Nothin'
Till You Hear from Me stops abruptly after
less than a minute and turns into In a
Mellotone because one of the musicians
is unhappy. But once the group gets into the
groove, the tune cooks warmly. The quartet
is clearly enjoying itself during Love
For Sale, as the performance continues
for more than 15 minutes.
The
recording is of variable quality, with I'll
Remember April sounding fuzzy. And there
is a certain amount of background noise and
overheard chat. But overall this is a good
club session that will have you tapping your
feet as well as enjoying Zoot Sims' mellow
inventiveness
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
Nagel
Heyer CD 102
