In France · Live and Unissued Recordings

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.

—Jordi Pujol

Tracklist

Album details

Press reviews

Réédition ★★★★

«Une chose est impossible lorsqu’on parle de Zoot Sims—affirma avec sa pertinence habituelle Alain Tercinet, c’est citer un mauvais disque de lui ou même un mauvais chorus.» Conçu comme toujours avec intelligence par Jordi Pujol, cet album confirme une nouvelle fois cette assertion. Il comprend des enregistrements rares de trois moments clés de la relation privilégiée que Brother Zoot noua avec la France une prestation au Festival de Cannes de 1958 avec le Walter Davis Jr. Trio, au Blue Note en 1960 avec Maurice Vander, Pierre Michelot, Jimmy Gourley et Kenny Clarke, et deux séances studio inédites de 1961 sous la direction de son ami Henri Renaud  l’une avec une section de saxophones avec Jean-Louis Chautemps et William Boucaya, l’autre en quintette où brille Gentleman Jim.

A l’écoute de ces sessions “Made in France”, impossible de ne pas tomber sous le charme de la généreuse spontanéité de son jeu et de sa sonorité de ténor chaude et charnue. Mais il y a aussi et surtout ce grand plus qui rend Sims immédiatement identifiable et unique. Stan Getz donna un jour la réponse quand on lui demanda de définir son saxophoniste idéal «Il devrait avoir mon "sound”, les idées d’Al Cohn et le time de Zoot.» Qu’est-ce que le time sinon cette respiration rythmique qui, quoiqu’il joue, fait que Sims swingue toujours naturellement grâce à une justesse irréfutable de la mise en place?"

—Pascal Anquetil (Février, 2026)
Jazz Magazine
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Ringer of the Week ★★★★★

"There are certain jazz artists that you simply know you’re going to purchase anything they put out. If you’re a sax fan, it’s a no brainer to pick up a session like this, an obscure and previously unreleased collection of material of Zoot Sims at various Parisian gigs from 1958-1961. His tenor sound is so velvety that he could be playing disco and I’d probably still buy it. Don’t worry, that style of music was still a safe 20 years into the future.

Teamed with the hard bop mates Walter Davis/p, Doug Watkins/b andArt Taylor/d, Sims glows like a warm breeze on “Algo Bueno” and swings hard on “It  Ha To Be You”. With ex-pat Kenny Clarke on the drums and the legendary bassist Pierre Michelot, Sims leads a quintet through a lyrical “The Red Door” and lugubrious “Autumn Leaves” sighing delightfully for “Willow Weep For Me”. Pianist Henri Renaud is part of the rhythm section for a five sax’d ensemble that rumbles like a herd on ‘Something For Lester” and “Pasco” with Sims giving a wonderful aria on “What’s New” with Renaud in a smaller group setting. I don’t know what else you’re going to be looking for in a tenor sax player, but if you ever figure it out, keep it to  yourself, because it just doesn’t get better than this."

—George W. Harris (October 23, 2025)
https://www.jazzweekly.com/