"You Can Never Capture It Again": Zoot Sims, "Live" in Philly

Eric Dolphy once said, “When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air, you can never capture it again.” When you think about the years of gigs musicians rack up in pursuit of their art, his remark really resonates. Maybe some of the greatest music ever made exists only in the memories of the musicians who made it and the audiences who heard it. Fortunately, some of these moments are still with us in the form of live recordings, like Zoot Sims: "Live" in Philly.

Recorded in an anonymous club in Philadelphia, probably in the late 1970s or early 1980s, and featuring Zoot Sims on tenor and soprano saxes, Ben Aronov on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Mickey Roker providing strong rhythmic support on drums. Zoot et al. must have played hundreds of shows like this one, which for unknown reasons was recorded. It’s a great set, featuring three familiar Duke Ellington compositions (In a Mellow Tone, I Got It Bad and that Ain’t Good, and Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me). On the first and third of these tunes, Zoot demonstrates the lost art of effortless mid-tempo swing so typical of Lester Young and his musical descendants, while on I’ve Got It Bad, he brings out all of the song’s sweet sadness. Polka Dots and Moonbeams features Major Holley’s  hum-along technique on bass, providing humor without sacrificing a real feeling for the song.

For me, though, the album’s emotional core is I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You, with Zoot on soprano. After taking up that notoriously tricky horn in the 1970s, he developed a beautiful, expressive sound. Ghost must have been a favorite of his―he recorded it at least one other time―but this performance is hauntingly beautiful. Ben Aronov follows with a striking solo, as he does throughout the record. It’s the track I come back to most often.

I don’t know how this recording came about, but I’m grateful for it. Here are Ghost and Polka 

Dots―enjoy!