He was born in Inglewood, California. Sims' family was involved in vaudeville, and, for his part, John learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age. Zoot's father was a vaudeville hoofer, and Zoot prided himself on remembering many of the steps his father taught him.
Following in the footsteps of Lester Young, Sims developed into an innovative tenor saxophonist. Throughout his career, he played with renowned bands, including Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. He was known among his peers as one of the strongest swingers in the field. Sims frequently led his own combos and sometimes toured with his friend Gerry Mulligan with Gerry's sextet, and later with his Concert Jazz Band. Zoot had a long, successful partnership as co-leader of a quintet with Al Cohn, which recorded under "Al and Zoot". That group was a favorite at the New York club "The Half Note." Late in his career, Sims added the soprano saxophone to his performances. Sims' nickname — Zoot — was acquired early in his career while he was on the Kenny Baker band in California. The name was later appropriated for a sax-playing Muppet.
Zoot Sims died in New York on March 23, 1985.
(2) 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 he 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 1946-1947. He gained his initial fame as one of Woody Herman's "Four Brothers" during his time with the Second Herd (1947-1949). 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 (1954-1956). Sims was also a star soloist with Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band of the early '60s 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 '70s. 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. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi
Love Come Back to Me
Zoot Sims Lyrics
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I let you
We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to forget you
And leave the past behind
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Seems to stay forever in my mind
And high above
The moon was new
And so was love
This eager heart of mine was singing
Lover where can you be
You came at last
Love had its day
That day is past
You've gone away
This aching heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I'm so lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I grow lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
The lyrics of Zoot Sims's "Lover Come Back to Me" is an expression of what an individual in a lost relationship goes through. The song details the way the singer is feeling after a failed relationship. The first verse dramatizes the setting of the story, which dates back to the first time they met. Despite the character's attempt to forget their lover and the past, the memory of the magical first encounter has remained ever since. In the second verse, the singer reminisces how eager their heart was when they first fell in love, but they are now singing a different tune since their lover has gone away, leaving their heart aching. The third verse conveys a sense of loneliness that overwhelms the singer as they keep walking alone, reminiscing about the good times and desiring to be reunited with their lost love.
In summary, "Lover Come Back To Me" uses imagery and poetic language to convey the emotions of a broken relationship. The song portrays the agony of heartbreak while recalling happy times.
Line by Line Meaning
You went away
You left me and went away
I let you
I did not try to stop you from leaving
We broke the ties that bind
Our relationship ended
I wanted to forget you
I tried to forget about you
And leave the past behind
I wanted to move on
Still, the magic of the night I met you
However, the memories of the night I met you are still fresh in my mind
Seems to stay forever in my mind
Those memories seem to be etched in my mind forever
The sky was blue
The sky was a bright blue color
And high above
Up in the sky
The moon was new
The moon was in its phase of being a new moon
And so was love
My love for you was new at that time
This eager heart of mine was singing
My heart was bursting with joy
Lover where can you be
I was eagerly searching for you
You came at last
Finally, you arrived
Love had its day
Our love had a time of being strong and vibrant
That day is past
However, that time is now over
You've gone away
You have left me once again
This aching heart of mine is singing
My heart is full of sorrow and pain
Lover come back to me
I am begging you to come back to me
When I remember every little thing
As I recall every small detail
You used to do
Things that you used to do
I'm so lonely
My loneliness is overwhelming
Every road I walk along
Every path I take
I walk along with you
I am reminded of you
No wonder I am lonely
It's no surprise that I feel so alone
The sky is blue
The sky remains bright and blue
The night is cold
It is chilly outside
The moon is new
The moon is still in its new phase
But love is old
Our love has been around for a while
And while I'm waiting here
As I continue to wait here
This heart of mine is singing
My heart continues to ache
Lover come back to me
Please come back to me
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN, II, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, SIGMUND ROMBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind