These early 1956 sessions feature
Zoot Sims in top form playing a pair of standards and originals by members of the quintet.
Bob Brookmeyer is the perfect foil for the tenor saxophonist, as they seamless interweave intricate lines throughout the record, especially in an upbeat take of "September in the Rain." Pianist
John Williams contributed the cool "Down at the Loft" and solos brilliantly on every track.
Brookmeyer penned the slinky "Our Pad" with drummer
Gus Johnson, a track that would have fit a typical
Gerry Mulligan date (with whom both
Sims and
Brookmeyer worked from time to time).
Sims contributed three originals, but the hottest solos come in the closer, appropriately titled "One to Blow On." Anchoring the rhythm section is the great bassist
Milt Hinton, who is easily identifiable after just a few notes during his solos. Though most of this music was reissued on the Biograph CD
The Rare Dawn Sessions, "September in the Rain" was unjustly omitted, so serious fans of
Zoot Sims will want to look for this rare LP as well.