Zoot Sims and Johnny Mandel came out of the same milieu of bebop and the big bands. In the early 1950s, Mandel put down his brass instruments to concentrate on composing and arranging. Sims wore a few more coats of varnish off his old Selmer and added increasing luster to his talent, becoming one of the most admired tenor saxophonists of his generation. Thirty years after his fateful decision, Mandel was acclaimed for his scores and had produced beloved songs like “A Time for Love,” “Emily,” and “The Shadow of Your Smile.” When his music and Sims were brought together by producer Norman Granz for this album, it was a convergence of paths that seemed inevitable. Zoot caresses some of Mandel’s best known songs. He plays one Mandel named for him and revisits “Low Life,” a classic Mandel jazz composition from the Fifties.

with Mike Wofford, Chuck Berghofer, Nick Ceroli, Victor Feldman