The John “Zoot” Sims Papers primarily documents his professional career as a musician, and his legacy. The materials include contracts, sheet music, photographs, correspondence, newspaper articles, and periodicals. Most of the correspondence concerns release rights, and requests for information about Zoot’s relationships with musicians, such as Joe Venuti. The Zoot Sims Scholarship and his continued legacy at The New School in New York City are documented by news clippings and programs. Photographs include shots of Sims alone, with other musicians, and with family. Of note are manuscript lead sheets of Johnny Mandel compositions. Some of the materials in this collection were collected by Sims’s wife after her husband’s death.