Army Times
Tom Scanlan : 11/09/1957

Zoot Sims Plays Four Altos is a fascinating record, especially when you consider how it was made. This is one of those duplicate tape things, but there’s a major difference: this time, the parts were not written out in advance. Instead, Zoot improvised with a rhythm section, then pianist-arranger George Handy, who dreamed up this album, had the job of taking down every note that Zoot played and harmonizing for the other three parts. As George explains, in part, on the interesting notes:

“I found myself faced with more than notes. There were slurs, slides, slitherings, spacious soarings, false notes, blue notes, whisperings of notes, non-existent notes, grace notes, millions of pieces of notes … I encountered some difficulty for many of his passages it would be impractical to harmonize. For instance, in some solos he might dip too low, leaving no room to add three parts beneath the solo line. In other spots he moved too quickly so that an addition of three other identical parts would create a heaviness…”

The amazing thing about all this is that the final product comes over as a swinging session and not as any kind of technical stunt.

Few will disagree with Handy’s summation of Zoot’s work on this album: “It’s a fairly simple matter for a jazz soloists to stand up and play a free solo. It’s entirely a different matter to read this solo with its difficult passages and complex rhythms three times and still retain the original conception, feelings, drives, thoughts.”

Seven tunes are included, all originals based on familiar chord patterns. I especially recommend Let’s Not Waltz Tonight, The Last Day of Fall, and I Await Thee, Love (which by any other name would still come out There’ll Never Be Another You).

In passing, it should be noted that although Zoot is best known as a tenor man, this LP tends to prove that he is also one of the most exciting alto men in the business, too.

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Billboard : 08/19/1957
Spotlight on… selection

Electronically and musically interesting, this Sims set utilizes superimposition, four times, in this case, to create an illusion of four altos. Writing of George Handy and superb Sims plus solid rhythm make the experience a musical delight. Buyer is likely to be beguiled by novelty value of package, gassed by its musical content. Sims, long a significant figure on tenor, shows evidence here of becoming equally dominant on the smaller horn.

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Cashbox : 09/28/1957

Sims, whose initial ABC-Paramount effort featured the performer on alto, tenor and baritone sax, is ingeniously represented as an alto quartet and/or as a soloist backed by himself. Thanks to technical feats and tailor-made arrangements by composer and pianist on the date, George Handy, the affair sickly comes off in both its swinging and bluesy moments. Knobby Totah (bass) and Nick Stabulas (drums) round out Sims support. Disk offers the jazz crowd interesting listening.

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High Fidelity
John S. Wilson : November 1957

A convincing argument in favor of tape trickery is Zoot Sims. His performance here as all four alto saxophones in one of the most smoothly swinging red sections ever contrived by any means is absolutely superb. The fact that Sims is the magnificent saxophonist that he is justifies this quadrupling on tape, since it would be almost impossible to find three other reed men to match him. The selections are pleasantly serviceable creations by George Handy, who also performed the difficult task of writing parts for the three additional altos around Sims’ original improvisations with rhythm section (Handy, Knobby Totah, Nick Stabulas). Sims preserves a remarkable spontaneity in dubbing in these three parts so that the ensembles swing with a persuasive lilt. And Sims also manages to vary his solo style just enough in the course of successive appearances in one section so that it doesn’t sound like the same man taking all the solos. Trickery aside, this is an enormously satisfying collection of polished, pulsing jazz.

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San Francisco Chronicle
Ralph J. Gleason : 08/18/1957

If a tenor man playing one alto is good, then a tenor man playing four altos is obviously four times as good, or isn’t he? Interesting, but hardly Zoot‘s artistic monument. On Quicker Blues the notes point out that there are 17 choruses of Zoot. George Handy wrote all the six tunes on the album

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Down Beat : 10/17/1957
Don Gold : 4.5 stars

Although multirecording always has seemed to me to be more of a mechanic display than a creative device, if it’s at all worthwhile, it’s worth doing with Zoot. Here he plays with penetrating feeling and drive for 32 minutes and 45 seconds as an alto quartet and in fluent solos.

All the charts, featuring attractive harmonic patterns and inventive melodic lines, are by Handy, who was a part of the rhythm section for the date. Zoot brings the material vividly to life.

There is a fine blues feeling at two tempos, Quicker and Slower. There is a merrily knowing Waltz, a bright Fall, a relaxed Key, and a pulsating Love. And how many reed sections sound as memorable as Zoot on J’Espera, where Handy has utilized constant harmonization?

Zoot’s conception is wonderfully mature, manifesting many facets of modern jazz history without sacrificing the unique approach which is undeniably Zoot’s. Despite the artificiality of multirecording, Zoot emerges once again as one of the most genuinely productive reedmen of our time.

As another moving recital by Zoot, The Strong, this is definitely recommended.

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Liner Notes by George Handy

Today the electrically controlled metronome is regarded as the perfect guardian of tempo or, if you prefer, meter or beat.

But – it hasn’t got the Zoot Sims swingin’ flow
Or – his ever pulsin’ dynamo.

Forgive this rhyme, mine! I do get carried away each time I discuss the Zoot character, the Sims potential, his capabilities on all the reed instruments, the deep understanding of his art, and his performances yet to come.

Laster winter ABC-Paramount suggested to me that I think of a new date for Zoot Sims which would have either a new touch or a different treatment. I must admit that this kept me sleepless for many a night, yet strangely enough when the idea did come to me it came to me in my sleep. I had been dreaming of four Zoot Sims, all playing saxophone, all ad-libbing, all precision. It sounded so good to me in my dream that I woke up and started thinking about how to make this dream a reality. After a few hours of thought, I had it worked out in my mind. It would have to be done in two recording sessions. The first date was going to be simple.

I took seven standard harmonic movements and wrote melodies to them all. These seven arrangements were very simply indeed and were played by Zoot Sims (alto saxophone), Knobby Totah (bass), and Nick Stabulas (drums), and myself on piano. The date went off as planned, a very pleasing, relaxing session for all, a good listener’s session for the rhythm section, and a free-freedom of expression session for Zoot. A few days later I picked up the tapes of this, the first date, and returned home to begin the more difficult work, the work of making four altos sound as spontaneous as the one which had already recordingly done the thing, swing! Little did I know what lay in store for me.

The next job was to be a simple one, so I thought. It was to take down on manuscript paper every note that Zoot played at the first session. But I found myself faced with more than notes. There were slurs, slides, slitherings, spacious soarings, false notes, blue notes, whisperings of notes, non-existent notes, grace notes, millions of pieces of notes – Zoot Sims’ notes, all to be interpreted through a medium that would give the reader of these kaleidoscopic notes perfect perfect reproductive powers. For anyone else, the reading of this next section of music would be a difficult one; but, having Zoot again as the further performer in quadruplicate, the chances for similarity and identity would be enhanced by one hundred percent. Yes, after taking all his solos off the first date tape, I was going to harmonize everything he had played in four parts, leaving lines for three other altos to be added on later to the original line. Again I encountered some difficulty for many of his passages it would be impractical to harmonize. For instance, in some solos he might dip too low, leaving no room to add three parts beneath the solo line. In other spots he moved too quickly so that an addition of three other identical parts would create a heaviness. This I tried to compensate for by creating balance or a rhythmic complement, or a simple accompaniment. Then again, I heard the voices of angels in other sections, sometimes in just short phrases. These I left unharmonized, untouched, unaccompanied.

When this work was done we were ready for the second and final date, which would have the remarkable instrumentation of Zoot on alto saxophone, a pair of earphones, and a wildly waving, bespectacled, bearded composer and arranger (have tux, will travel).

My words will now simply state that Zoot put on earphones, the first date was piped through them, he added alto number two, then this result was piped through the earphones as he added alto number three, then the final alto part was added to the three already recorded, giving us an alto saxophone quartet, which, in my opinion, is beyond compare.

This is technically how our goal was achieved. There is one thing I have neglected to mention, however. Zoot’s work at the second date was tremendously difficult. It’s a fairly simple matter for a jazz soloists to stand up and play a free solo. It’s entirely a different matter to read this solo with its difficult passages and complex rhythms three times and still retain the original conception, feelings, drives, thoughts, etc. But, in Zoot’s case, he was more than perfect; he was Zoot.

Quicker Blues
There are seventeen choruses of Zoot singly and in four parts. The form, as the title suggests, is the twelve-measure blues.

Slower Blues
Again the form is the twelve-measure blues form, but this time Zoot plays two sequences in the minor and follows with two in the major. The solo alto is accompanied, not duplicated.

Let’s Not Waltz Tonight
A wonderfully breezy, light swinging mood throughout. In the second eight measures, two Zoots play simultaneous solos. It is not repeated. Knobby and Nick keep the driving beat steady and constant behind Zoot. Look for the rhythmic interjections made by altos two, three, and four.

The Last Day of Fall
Has more notes than any other day of the year. But what notes! What Notes! Nothing – not a hundred more altos could have enhanced the greatness of Zoot’s solos. So, after the four altos state the first chorus, the lead alto blows away: the brightest, merriest, swingin’est. There’s a short four-bar interlude by the saxophone quartet, after which Zoot soars off again for another two choruses and quartet tag.

J’Espere Enfin
This has constant harmonization, and a very constant quartet. This has an ever-moving quality. No letup. Just complete Zoot.

See, a Key of “C”
This certainly shows the deep-thinking musician in Zoot. Four altos get a wonderfully lazy feeling and his solo is profoundly relaxed and flowing. Some mighty important notes being played here. In playing this I had the feeling that this was the time to relax and listen.

I Await Thee, Love
You know what they say. Give ’em a big finish, and a better driving end couldn’t have been accomplished by any other person than that one-man band. Zoot Sims. This one goes and goes and goes. The title is I Await Thee, Love but “Love” had better not waste any time in getting there because, when Nick starts the pace in the introduction, it doesn’t let up until all four Zoots have arrived in good swingin’ time.

Well, it’s been quite awhile now since I lay in bed and planned this record date and I’m still enthused with the final result, as I’m sure you’ll be.

My compliments to you, Zoot – all four of you.