Zoot Sims was born John Haley Sims into a family of vaudeville performers on October 29, 1925. Growing up in California, Sims played the clarinet and spent time listening to the records his older brother collected, including those by Lester Young and Ben Webster. Those records inspired Sims to pursue a career playing saxophone and he was soon a regular in the jazz clubs along Central Avenue in Los Angeles. It was there that he was heard by Benny Goodman who hired Sims and gave him his first high-profile gig.

After playing with Goodman Sims was hired by Woody Herman to be a part of his “Second Herd,” also known as the “Four Brothers” band. Along with fellow saxophonists Stan Getz, Herbie Steward and Serge Chaloff, Sims was one of the legendary “Four Brothers,” who took their name from a Jimmy Giuffre piece written for them.

After leaving the Herman band, Sims moved to New York City and did freelance work before landing a chair in the sax section of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. His time with that group was short lived, though, as he disliked the way the group was run as well as the dearth of space for improvisation in the heavily orchestrated arrangements.

For a while after quitting the Kenton band Sims lived in California and worked as a housepainter. Gerry Mulligan looked him up and offered him a job with his group. The time with Mulligan reinvigorated Sims’ career and by the mid-1950s Sims was working as a leader in small group formats and recording profusely. He released ten records in 1956 alone.

Zoot Sims continued to perform throughout the 1960s and 1970s including a reunion with the Herman band. By the early 1980s his health was beginning to decline and he was diagnosed with cancer. He continued to perform up until his death in 1985.

Here is a link to a quartet performance led by saxophonist Zoot Sims:

"ZOOT SIMS QUARTET"