Throughout his career, Zoot Sims was famous for epitomizing the swinging musician, never playing an inappropriate phrase. He always sounded inspired, and although his style did not change much after the early 1950s, Zoot's enthusiasm and creativity never wavered.
Zoot's family was involved in vaudeville, and he played drums and clarinet as a youth. His older brother Ray Sims developed into a fine trombonist who sounded like Bill Harris. At age 13, Sims switched permanently to the tenor, and his initial inspiration was Lester Young, although he soon developed his own cool-toned sound. Sims was a professional by the age of 15, landing his first important job with Bobby Sherwood's Orchestra, and joined Benny Goodman's big band for the first time in 1943; he would be one of BG's favorite tenormen for the next 30 years. He recorded with Joe Bushkin in 1944, and even at that early stage, his style was largely set.

After a period in the Army, Sims was with Goodman from 1946-47. He gained his initial fame as one of Woody Herman's "Four Brothers" during his time with the Second Herd (1947-49). Zoot had brief stints with Buddy Rich's short-lived big band, Artie Shaw, Goodman (1950), Chubby Jackson and Elliot Lawrence. He toured and recorded with Stan Kenton (1953) and Gerry Mulligan (1954-56). Sims was also a star soloist with Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band of the early 1960s and visited the Soviet Union with Benny Goodman in 1962. A freelancer throughout most of his career, Sims often led his own combos or co-led bands with his friend Al Cohn; the two tenors had very similar sounds and styles. Zoot started doubling on soprano quite effectively in the 1970s. Through the years, he appeared in countless situations, and always seemed to come out ahead. Fortunately, Zoot Sims recorded frequently, leading sessions for Prestige, Metronome, Vogue, Dawn, Storyville, Argo, ABC-Paramount, Riverside, United Artists, Pacific Jazz, Bethlehem, Colpix, Impulse, Groove Merchant, Famous Door, Choice, Sonet, and a wonderful series for Pablo.

One of the more elegant, tasteful and senstive guitarists, Gene Bertoncini has perfected the art of playing soft, sentimental music and presenting it in a light, fluid fashion, yet retaining a degree of feeling and spontaneity. He began on guitar at nine, and was a professional at 16, playing on a children's television show. Bertoncini took architechture at Notre Dame rather than music, though he later returned to full-time playing. He played with a group led by Buddy Rich that also included Mike Mainieri and Sam Most. Bertoncini worked with Clark Terry, Paul Winter, Nancy Wilson and in the television orchestras of Merv Griffin and Skitch Henderson in the '60s. He also backed Tony Bennett and worked with the Metropolitan Opera House orchestra. During the '70s, Bertoncini played with Wayne Shorter and Charles McPherson, then formed a duo with Mike Moore. They've played and recorded together over parts of two decades, with Bertoncini selecting the material and writing arrangments. Their performances blend classical, light (not "lite") jazz, Latin and popular material. Bertoncini and Moore were joined by Michael Urbaniak in a trio date in 1981, and he's also led workshops and taught at the Eastman School. Bertoncini has recorded for Stash, Chiaroscuro and Omisound. He and Moore have several releases available on CD.

John Blair

Bill Crow

Singer, pianist Bobby Cole

A jazz pianist noted for his versatility and elegance, Derek Smith was born August 17, 1931 in London, England. After taking up the piano in early childhood, he began his professional career at the age of just 14, and by the early 1950s was a staple on the U.K. jazz scene, regularly performing with the likes of Kenny Graham, John Dankworth and Kenny Baker. In the mid-1950s Smith relocated to New York City, where he became a session musician in much demand by studio orchestras and other recording units; he also continued pursuing his jazz aspirations in the company of Benny Goodman and Connie Kay. Smith continued moving back and forth from studio work to live jazz dates for years to come, and at the end of the 1960s added to his workload piano duties in Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show orchestra. In the 1970s he reunited frequently with Goodman, and in 1978 finally led his own recording date, Love for Sale. The Man I Love followed later that same year, and in the decades to come, Smith's presence on the jazz landscape increased considerably in addition to solo performances, he also regularly played in a trio with Milt Hinton and Bobby Rosengarden.

Though a musical arch-conservative, Michael Moore's an impressive, capable bassist noted for his restraint and support in small group settings. He has few peers for tasteful, lyrical playing, and has constantly drawn raves for his work in New York clubs. Moore began playing bass at 15, and worked with his guitarist father in Cinncinnati clubs. He studied at the Cincinnati College Conservatory and played at the local Playboy club with Cal Collins and Woody Evans. Moore toured Africa and Eastern Europe on a State Department-sponsored junket with Woody Herman's band in 1966, and recorded with Herman in New York and Dusko Goykovich in Belgrade. Moore played with Marian McPartland, Freddie Hubbard, Jim Hall and Benny Goodman in the '70s, as well as quartets led by the duos of Ruby Braff and George Barnes, and Chet Baker and Lee Konitz. Moore teamed with Gene Bertonicini in the late '70s, and continued their association through the '80s into the '90s. He also recorded with Jake Hanna, Warren Vache, Herb Ellis and Zoot Sims in the '70s, and Kenny Barron, Michael Urbaniak and Sims in the '80s. Moore and Bertoncini have recorded for OmniSound, Stash and Chiaroscuro. They have a few sessions available on CD.

One of the true masters of the bop vocabulary, Phil Woods has had his own sound since the mid-1950s and stuck to his musical guns throughout a remarkably productive career. There has never been a doubt that he is one of the top alto saxophonists alive, and he has lost neither his enthusiasm nor his creativity through the years.
Woods' first alto was left to him by an uncle, and he started playing seriously when he was 12. He gigged and studied locally until 1948, when he moved to New York. Woods studied with Lennie Tristano, at the Manhattan School of Music, and at Juilliard, where he majored in clarinet. He worked with Charlie Barnet (1954), Jimmy Raney (1955), George Wallington, the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Buddy Rich (1958-59), Quincy Jones (1959-61) and Benny Goodman (for BG's famous 1962 tour of the Soviet Union), but has mostly headed his own groups since 1955, including co-leadership of a combo with fellow altoist Gene Quill in the '50s logically known as "Phil & Quill." Woods, who married the late Charlie Parker's former wife Chan in the 1950s (and became the stepfather to singer Kim Parker), was sometimes thought of as "the new Bird" due to his brilliance in bop settings, but he never really sounded like a copy of Parker.

Phil Woods popped up in a variety of settings in the 1960s on Benny Carter's classic Further Definitions record, touring Europe with the short-lived Thelonious Monk Nonet, and appearing on studio dates like the soundtracks to The Hustler and Blow Up. Always interested in jazz education (although he believes that there is no better way to learn jazz than to gig and travel constantly), Woods taught at an arts camp in Pennsylvania in the summers of 1964-67. Discouraged with the jazz scene in the U.S., he moved to France in 1968. For the next few years, Woods led a very advanced group, The European Rhythm Machine, which leaned towards the avant-garde and included pianist George Gruntz. Their recordings still sound fresh and exciting today, although this venture would only be a detour in Woods' bebop life. In 1972, he returned to the U.S. and tried unsuccessfully to lead an electronic group that featured keyboardist Pete Robinson.

In 1973, Woods formed a quintet with pianist Mike Melillo, bassist Steve Gilmore, drummer Bill Goodwin and guitarist Harry Leahey that had much greater success. Their recording Live at the Showboat officially launched the band which today, after a few personnel changes, still tours the world. After Leahey left in 1978, it was known as the Phil Woods Quartet until trumpeter Tom Harrell (1983-89) joined; his spot has since been assumed by trombonist Hal Crook (1989-92) and trumpeter Brian Lynch. Pianist Melillo went out on his own in 1980, and his successors have been Hal Galper (1980-90), Jim McNeely (1990-95) and Bill Charlap; Gilmore and Goodwin have been with Woods since the group's start. Not just a bebop reportory band, Woods' ensembles have developed their own repertoire, taken plenty of chances, and stretched themselves while sticking to his straight-ahead path.

Woods contributed the famous alto solo to Billy Joel's hit recording of "Just the Way You Are" and has been one of Michel Legrand's favorite artists, guesting with Legrand on an occasional basis; he has made dozens of rewarding recordings himself through the years. He debuted as a leader in 1954 and has since recorded for Prestige, Savoy, RCA, Mode, Epic, Candid (the brilliant The Right of Swing in 1961), Impulse, MGM, Verve, Embryo, Testament, Muse, Omnisound, Enja, Chesky and with his Quintet/Quartet for RCA, Gryphon, Adelphi, Clean Cuts, SeaBreeze (two sets adding Chris Swansen's inventive synthesizer to the band), Red, Antilles, Palo Alto, BlackHawk, Denon and quite extensively for Concord. An Italian label, Philogy (which has some broadcasts and live performances from Woods' bands), is named after the popular and still brilliant altoist.

Nearly as famous for his reluctance to play as for his outstanding abilities, guitarist Tal Farlow did not take up the instrument until he was already 21 but within a year was playing professionally and in 1948 was with Marjorie Hyams's band. While with the Red Norvo Trio (which originally included Charles Mingus) from 1949-53, Farlow became famous in the jazz world. His huge hands and ability to play rapid yet light lines made him one of the top guitarists of the era. After six months with Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five in 1953, Farlow put together his own group which for a time included pianist Eddie Costa. Late in 1958 Farlow settled on the East Coast, became a sign painter and just played locally. He only made one record as a leader during 1960-75 but emerged a bit more often during 1976-84, recording for Concord fairly regularly before largely disappearing again. Profiled in the definitive documentary Talmage Farlow, the guitarist can be heard on his own records for Blue Note (1954), Verve, Prestige (1969) and Concord. He died of cancer July 25, 1998 at age 77.

Tal Farlow