At first glance, Philadelphia violinist
Joe Venuti and Los Angeles tenor/soprano saxophonist
Zoot Sims might seem an unlikely combination.
Venuti was known for swing, classic jazz, and Dixieland, whereas
Sims (who was young enough to be
Venuti's son) was primarily a cool/bop musician along the lines of
Stan Getz,
Al Cohn, and
Paul Quinichette. But when you think about it, the combination makes perfect sense. Before
Sims made bop changes his main focus in the mid-'40s, he played in swing bands -- and
Sims (like
Getz,
Cohn, and
Quinichette) was heavily influenced by the seminal
Lester Young. So all things considered, it makes perfect sense for
Venuti and
Sims to join forces on
Joe and Zoot and More (which was recorded in 1973 and 1974). Stepping outside of cool jazz and bop,
Sims enthusiastically joins
Venuti in a classic jazz/swing setting. The performances generally recall the early '30s, and
Venuti and
Sims enjoy an undeniably strong rapport on inspired versions of "I Found a New Baby," "Indiana," and other familiar standards. As gutsy and hard-swinging as the up-tempo performances are,
Venuti and
Sims are unapologetically sentimental on ballads like "There's a Small Hotel" and "My One and Only Love." Some bop snobs might think the ballads are toosentimental -- in bop, ballad playing has often tended to be less sentimental and more intellectual than the swing and classic jazz ballad playing of the '30s. (Lyrical, romantic, and pretty don't necessarily mean ultra-sentimental.) But truth be told, there is nothing wrong with jazz instrumentalists being sentimental -- it certainly worked well for
Bunny Berigan,
Chu Berry,
Artie Shaw, and countless others who emerged in jazz's pre-bop era.
Joe and Zoot and More is an excellent CD that
Venuti fans and
Sims admirers should both make a point of obtaining. ~ Alex Henderson