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https://soundprojections.blogspot.com/2019/06/shirley-scott-1934-2002-legendary.html
PHOTO: SHIRLEY SCOTT (1934-2002)
Shirley Scott
(1934-2002)
Artist Biography by Alex Henderson
An admirer of the seminal Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott has been one of the organ's most appealing representatives since the late '50s. Scott,
a very melodic and accessible player, started out on piano and played
trumpet in high school before taking up the Hammond B-3 and enjoying
national recognition in the late '50s with her superb Prestige dates
with tenor sax great Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.
Especially popular was their 1958 hit "In the Kitchen." Her reputation
was cemented during the '60s on several superb, soulful organ/soul-jazz
dates where she demonstrated an aggressive, highly rhythmic attack
blending intricate bebop harmonies with bluesy melodies and a gospel
influence, punctuating everything with great use of the bass pedals.
Scott married soul-jazz tenor man Stanley Turrentine, with whom she often recorded in the '60s. The Scott/Turrentine union lasted until the early '70s, and their musical collaborations in the '60s were among the finest in the field. Scott
wasn't as visible the following decade, when the popularity of organ
combos decreased and labels were more interested in fusion and pop-jazz
(though she did record some albums for Chess/Cadet and Strata East). But
organists regained their popularity in the late '80s, which found her
recording for Muse. Though known primarily for her organ playing, Scott
is also a superb pianist -- in the 1990s, she played piano exclusively
on some trio recordings for Candid, and embraced the instrument
consistently in Philly jazz venues in the early part of the decade. At
the end of the '90s, Scott's
heart was damaged by the diet drug combination, fen-phen, leading to
her declining health. In 2000 she was awarded $8 million in a lawsuit
against the manufacturers of the drug. On March 10, 2002 she died of
heart failure at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia.
https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/shirleyscott
https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/shirleyscott
Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott began playing piano and trumpet in her native
Philadelphia. By the mid 1950s, she was playing piano in the city's
thriving club scene - often with the very young John Coltrane. A club
owner needed her to fill in on organ one night and the young Shirley
took to it immediately, crafting a swinging, signature sound unlike
anyone else almost from the get go.
On a swing through town, Basie tenor man Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1922-86) heard Scott and asked her to join his band. They recorded prolifically together - as co-leaders - and released a hugely popular series of “Cookbook” records for Prestige during the late 1950s.
Shirley launched her solo career in 1958, recording 23 albums for Prestige (1958-64), 10 for Impulse (1963-68), three for Atlantic (1968-70), three for Cadet (1971-73), one in 1974 for Strata East, two for Muse (1989-91) and three for Candid (1991-92).
She was married to the late, great tenor sax player Stanley Turrentine (1961-71) and the two made some of their finest music - together - for the Blue Note, Prestige, Impulse and Atlantic labels.
Her playing consistently possessed one of the most graceful and lyrical touches applied to the bulky B-3. But it was her deeply-felt understanding of the blues and gospel that made her playing most remarkable.
On a swing through town, Basie tenor man Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1922-86) heard Scott and asked her to join his band. They recorded prolifically together - as co-leaders - and released a hugely popular series of “Cookbook” records for Prestige during the late 1950s.
Shirley launched her solo career in 1958, recording 23 albums for Prestige (1958-64), 10 for Impulse (1963-68), three for Atlantic (1968-70), three for Cadet (1971-73), one in 1974 for Strata East, two for Muse (1989-91) and three for Candid (1991-92).
She was married to the late, great tenor sax player Stanley Turrentine (1961-71) and the two made some of their finest music - together - for the Blue Note, Prestige, Impulse and Atlantic labels.
Her playing consistently possessed one of the most graceful and lyrical touches applied to the bulky B-3. But it was her deeply-felt understanding of the blues and gospel that made her playing most remarkable.
Shirley Scott resided in Philadelphia up until her death in early 2002. She occasionally performed locally (on piano, mostly) and was musical director of Bill Cosby's short-lived 1992 show You Bet Your Life.
She successfully won a multi-million dollar lawsuit against a
diet-drug company in 2000 and had not performed in public for about five
years before her untimely death in early 2002.
https://www.abc.net.au/jazz/features/retro-artist/shirley-scott/10722860Shirley Scott
The 'Queen of the Organ' showcases this month in our Retro Artist series. Take a look back at the life and times of Shirley Scott - one of the foremost Hammond B3 players (and pianists) in jazz.
On ABC Jazz...
Thursday Night Live: Queen of the Organ
Organs are hard. An expert jazz organist takes on a multitude of roles, doing the work of both the pianist and the bass player, whilst manipulating the instrument's tone colour with the coordination akin to that of a drummer. One of the unsung heroes (or heroines) of this unique instrument is Shirley Scott.
Since the 1950s, organ combos have become a staple of the jazz idiom, and as jazz fans, we oftentimes look to the likes of Jimmy Smith, Larry Young and Jimmy McGriff when discussing the greats of the Hammond B3. Indeed, organ players led the way with the development of Soul jazz - an offshoot of hardbop that expanded on the sub-genre's foundations in the blues, gospel and R&B.
Shirley Scott was at the forefront of the movement, crafting her own unique vocabulary on the instrument. During the late '50s and throughout the 1960s, she was a mainstay for both Prestige and Impulse! Records - with over 40 albums as a leader and many more as a side-woman, all the while going against the grain as a female instrumentalist in a mostly male-dominated scene.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (a state where many of the great organists hailed from), Scott grew up learning the piano. She was exposed to jazz at an early age, thanks in part to her father who ran an underground jazz club in their house. Despite taking to the piano, her "school loaded with good pianists," so she reverted to trumpet for a short time. During the '50s, a fellow Pennsylvanian by the name of Jimmy Smith was helping popularise the iconic Hammond B3 organ, and by the middle of the decade, the unique qualities of the amplified instrument had caught her ear.
Some of her first gigs on the organ around Philly were with a group called the Hi-Tones, which for a short period featured John Coltrane on tenor sax. She then struck up a fruitful musical relationship with another sax player - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - recording her first sessions with his band. The duo appeared together on over a dozen recordings, including a collaboration with Count Basie and their memorable 'Cookbook' series - which featured originals by the two musicians. Check out this blues-drenched number titled 'The Rev.'
Tracklist:
"The Rev"
Henry Rasmussen
Friday 1 February 2019
Image: Impulse Records
On ABC Jazz...
Thursday Night Live: Queen of the Organ
Organs are hard. An expert jazz organist takes on a multitude of roles, doing the work of both the pianist and the bass player, whilst manipulating the instrument's tone colour with the coordination akin to that of a drummer. One of the unsung heroes (or heroines) of this unique instrument is Shirley Scott.
Since the 1950s, organ combos have become a staple of the jazz idiom, and as jazz fans, we oftentimes look to the likes of Jimmy Smith, Larry Young and Jimmy McGriff when discussing the greats of the Hammond B3. Indeed, organ players led the way with the development of Soul jazz - an offshoot of hardbop that expanded on the sub-genre's foundations in the blues, gospel and R&B.
Shirley Scott was at the forefront of the movement, crafting her own unique vocabulary on the instrument. During the late '50s and throughout the 1960s, she was a mainstay for both Prestige and Impulse! Records - with over 40 albums as a leader and many more as a side-woman, all the while going against the grain as a female instrumentalist in a mostly male-dominated scene.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (a state where many of the great organists hailed from), Scott grew up learning the piano. She was exposed to jazz at an early age, thanks in part to her father who ran an underground jazz club in their house. Despite taking to the piano, her "school loaded with good pianists," so she reverted to trumpet for a short time. During the '50s, a fellow Pennsylvanian by the name of Jimmy Smith was helping popularise the iconic Hammond B3 organ, and by the middle of the decade, the unique qualities of the amplified instrument had caught her ear.
Some of her first gigs on the organ around Philly were with a group called the Hi-Tones, which for a short period featured John Coltrane on tenor sax. She then struck up a fruitful musical relationship with another sax player - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - recording her first sessions with his band. The duo appeared together on over a dozen recordings, including a collaboration with Count Basie and their memorable 'Cookbook' series - which featured originals by the two musicians. Check out this blues-drenched number titled 'The Rev.'
"Eddie "Lockjaw" came to Philly without an organist - and I was the only one in Philadelphia who said they could play the organ, so I got a job... he taught me to listen and he opened up my ears."
Just In Time (Live From The Front Room/1964
Shirley Scott
Queen Of The Organ
℗ A Verve Label Group Release; ℗ 1965 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Released on: 1965-01-01
Shirley̲ S̲c̲o̲t̲t̲ ̲–̲ ̲Queen O̲f T̲h̲e̲ Or̲g̲a̲n̲ ̲(̲1̲9̲6̲4̲)̲
Tracklist: 1 Just In Time 0:00:00 2 Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me) 0:07:32 3 Mean, Angry, Nasty And Lowdown 0:17:35 4 Can't Buy Me Love 0:27:02 5 Like Blue 0:36:15 6 Cute 0:45:07 7 Rapid Shave 0:53:19 8 That's For Me 1:01:34 9 The Theme 1:09:21
Organ: Shirley Scott
Tenor Saxophone: Stanley Turrentine
Bass: Bob Cranshaw
Shirley Scott & Kenny Burrell - "Travelin' Light"
Tracklist:
"The Rev"
Drums: Arthur Edgehill
Bass Guitar: George Duvivier
Organ: Shirley Scott
Flute: Jerome Richardson
Composer Lyricist: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Composer Lyricist: Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott talking with Marian McPartland on NPR, 1992
Shirley Scott Trio (w Harold Vick on tenor) - Don't Look Back - 1976 (Live video)
Shirley Scott Hammond Organ with Harold Vick on tenor saxophone - who, incidentally, also wrote this tune
Shirley Scott – Now's The Time (1967):
Tracklist:
A1 As It Was 0:00
A2 How Sweet 5:27
A3 Ebb Tide 12:51
B1 Now's The Time 17:02
B2 That's Where It's At 21:30
B3 Cafe Style 24:52
B4 Out Of This World 29:21
Bass – Bob Cranshaw (tracks: A1), George Tucker (tracks: A2), George Duvivier (tracks: A3, B1, B4) Drums – Otis Finch (tracks: A1), Roy Brooks (A2), Arthur Edgehill (tracks: A3, B1, B4) Organ – Shirley Scott Tenor Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine (tracks: A1), Oliver Nelson (tracks: A2) Trumpet - Joe Newman (tracks: A2) Vibraphone – Lem Winchester (tracks: B1)
Recorded May 27 and October 23, 1958, June 23, 1960, August 22, 1961 and March 31, 1964 - Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack and Englewood Cliffs.
Through her connection to Davis, Bob Weinstock (the founder Prestige records) brought Scott into the studio for her own sessions with the other members of Davis' rhythm section - George Duvivier (bass) and Arthur Edgehill (drums). These early sessions also gave the organist a chance to show off her own writing.
Another important saxophonist during Scott's formative years was Stanley Turrentine - who she ended up marrying 1960. Having met on a gig in Panama, the pair would go on to become somewhat of a musical power-couple. Their first album together Hip Soul, which was recorded in '61, continued where Scott and Eddie Davis left off. The focus now was honing her soul jazz sound, although this time she was the leader as opposed to the young side-women whom Davis flaunted on-stage.
All this time, Prestige Records had been helping showcase her music, but in 1963 - she caught the ear of Impulse! Records' Bob Thiele. The first session he organised for Scott teamed her up with the iconic arranger Oliver Nelson for an album called For Members Only (previously featured on Vinyl Sides). This recording marked Shirley's first major large ensemble session and further demonstrated the B3's ability to blend seamlessly with a big band. Signing with Impulse! also came with added benefits of greater exposure wit the label busy touting their catalogue of modern '60s jazz.
Throughout the '60s, Scott continued to churn out records, often teaming up with different instrumentalists including the likes of Gary McFarland, Clark Terry and David "Fathead" Newman. Another enduring album from the mid-60s was her collaboration with guitarist Kenny Burrell - himself a rising star at the time. They teamed up for a session entitled Travelin' Light, combining organ and electric guitar for that classic small soul jazz combo sound.
As the '60s progressed towards the 1970s, Scott was well placed to absorb the emerging jazz-funk movement sweeping across the states. The soulful, bluesy inflections of her organ made way for arrangements with heavy back-beats and fuzzed-up guitar. The organ itself also matched the over-driven amplified aesthetic of funk as she covered tunes by Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles for a trio of albums for the Cadet label.
However as new generations of musicians emerged, her popularity waned - and she didn't record again until 1989 after somewhat of an organ resurgence. By this time, Scott had also reacquainted herself with her first instrument - the piano - and continued to feature of both keyboards throughout the 1990s. Speaking of her prowess behind the piano, here's one of her final albums was captured live at Birdland in 1991, called Blues Everywhere.
During the late '90s, Scott developed a heart condition after taking a now-banned diet drug. She won an $8 million dollar settlement from the pharmaceutical company after her diagnosis led to her requiring an oxygen tank. Sadly, she passed away from heart failure in 2002, aged 67, forever remembered as the 'queen of the organ.'
http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=1016136546
- Shirley Scott
- Musical instruments: Organ, piano
- Born: March 14, 1934 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: March 10, 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Leading Lady of Soul Jazz
Copyright © 2002
Shirley Scott was a leading figure in one of the most popular of all jazz movements, the off-shoot of hard bop known as soul jazz. The style was led by Hammond organ players like Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff, and although her initial ambition was to succeed on piano, Scott established her reputation on the Hammond B3 alongside these titans.
She developed her own distinctive approach to the instrument. Despite her slight build, she was a powerful player, but one who liked to emphasise subtlety and control over the outright excitement favoured by many exponents of the style. That was evident in both her inventive soloing and in her probing, suggestive accompaniments behind the many saxophonists she worked with over her career.
She was born into a family with strong roots in jazz. Her father ran a jazz club in Philadelphia, and her brother played saxophone. She learned piano at school, and took up trumpet as a second instrument for a time.
She took both bachelor and masters degrees at Cheyney University, one
of the longest established African-American institutions in the USA, and
later taught there.
Her career as a musician took off when she bowed to pressure from promoters and switched from piano to the newly popular Hammond B3. She worked with a local band in 1955 which included John Coltrane, then on the cusp of emerging as the most important jazz creator of his generation.
When saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis found himself short of an organ player in the city, he overcame his initial doubts about having a woman in his band and hired Scott. He was quickly won over, and she enjoyed a successful stint with the hard-hitting saxophonist, including recording the classic sessions released as The Eddie Davis Cookbook, but left the band in 1960.
She married another saxophonist, Stanley Turrentine, shortly afterwards, and they worked together a great deal over the decade of their marriage, occasionally hiding behind barely disguised pseudonyms like "Little Miss Cott" on each other's records, for contractual reasons.
She made her recording debut as a leader with Great Scott! for Prestige in 1958, and recorded regularly for a variety of labels in the next two decades, including Prestige, Impulse and Atlantic. She worked with saxophonists Oliver Nelson (in a big band setting), Harold Vick, Jimmy Forrest, and Dexter Gordon, and trombonist Al Grey, among others.
The Hammond fell out of fashion for a time in the 1970s, and she returned to her original choice of instrument, the piano. The big revival of interest in the Hammond from the late-1980s restored interest in her music, but she rarely performed on the organ again, preferring to stay with piano. Her final recording, Walkin' Thing, was released in 1996.
She took up a post teaching jazz history and piano at Cheyney University in 1991, and served as musical director for Bill Cosby's short-lived television quiz show You Bet Your Life, which was recorded in her home city of Philadelphia.
Her health began to fail after using the now banned diet drug combination "fen-phen", which she began taking in 1995. By 1997 she had developed primary pulmonary hypertension as a result of the drugs, and was permanently bed-ridden. She sued the manufacturer and the prescribing doctor, and was awarded a settlement of 8 million dollars in 2000.
She is survived by two sons, three daughters, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
News | April, 25th 2016
(This survey represents just a small handful of the hundreds of artists who deserve more recognition, so stay tuned to the blog for upcoming posts on more artists worth investigating.)
Now, in no particular order:
2. Shirley Scott
October 29, 2015
For the radio show and more info: http://n.pr/1LEtzyF
Jazz is taught at universities now, and artists like saxophonist Tim Warfield and trumpeter Terell Stafford teach at them. But they know that jazz is taught more through listening than reading; more on the bandstand than the classroom. And they learned those lessons from the organ giant Shirley Scott, who died in 2002. Known as the "queen of the organ," Scott was one of several Philadelphians who developed the electric Hammond B-3 into a viable instrument for a soulful, bluesy style of jazz. With dozens of recordings to her name, she was already a major voice when she became the leader of the house band at Ortlieb's Jazzhaus. Among the young players who timidly found their way onto the stage at Ortlieb's were Warfield and Stafford — and, in doing so, they got a lot more than they bargained for.In this documentary short, Jazz Night In America remembers Shirley Scott.
Scott's soulful Hammond chops earned her the moniker "Queen of the Organ" and, as the Jazz Night in America video above attests, she regally presided over Philadelphia's jazz scene from her emergence in the 1950s until her death in 2002. She is famed for her own recordings as a leader and her long-running collaborations with tenor saxophonists Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Stanley Turrentine, whom she married in 1960. In her later years, she played more piano than organ and spent a significant amount of her energy on jazz education initiatives in Pennsylvania.
Start with: Her 1996 Candid album A Walkin' Thing finds a late-career Scott in full swing alongside Philly musicians whom she'd mentored.
Scott's soulful Hammond chops earned her the moniker "Queen of the Organ" and, as the Jazz Night in America video above attests, she regally presided over Philadelphia's jazz scene from her emergence in the 1950s until her death in 2002. She is famed for her own recordings as a leader and her long-running collaborations with tenor saxophonists Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Stanley Turrentine, whom she married in 1960. In her later years, she played more piano than organ and spent a significant amount of her energy on jazz education initiatives in Pennsylvania.
Start with: Her 1996 Candid album A Walkin' Thing finds a late-career Scott in full swing alongside Philly musicians whom she'd mentored.
https://www.jazzwax.com/2011/04/shirley-scott-hip-soul.html
April 27, 2011
Shirley Scott: Hip Soul
In the late '50s, through the '60s and into the '70s, albums by 
sax-organ combos seem to have been recorded every three minutes at Rudy
Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey. The Prestige label cornered the
market on this format early, matching every possible Hammond B3 player
with every conceivable tenor saxophonist. The number of reed-organ
recordings for Prestige easily must total in the hundreds.
Among the most consistently interesting of 
these sessions were recordings by Shirley Scott [pictured above] and
her then husband Stanley Turrentine [pictured left]. Turrentine's
swinging freight-train sax backed by Scott's reed-section-sounding organ
had a certain something that most other combos did not. If you analyze
it, much had to do with the slow cook of both artists and how they
goosed and played off each other. This was a partnership—not one
instrument backed by the other.
The Turrentine-Scott sweet spot ran between 1961 and 1964,
For one, Scott's organ on the date is set with skating-rink stops that made her chords and notes swell and soar. Turrentine is bitingly quick and soulful, hitting the gas on his boss tenor sound and then rearing back smoothly into a soft hush. This is a church conversation between equals. Scott's solos are as extensive and as well framed as Turrentine's, and both bring a huge gospel feel.
Joining Scott and Turrentine are Herbie Lewis on bass and Roy Brooks on drums. Interestingly, Turrentine appeared under the
In 1961, Scott and Turrentine managed to intertwine love and
Unfortunately, the Scott-Turrentine marriage would last only
until 1970. But while they were together, they made some beautiful
albums. The first was particularly special. [Pictured, from left:
personal manager and bassist John Levy, Shirley Scott and Stanely
Turrentine; courtesy of John and Devra Hall Levy]
JazzWax tracks: Hip Soul is not in print as a stand-alone
JazzWax clip: There don't appear to be tracks from Hip Soul on YouTube. But here's Major's Minor from Never Let Me Go (1963). It will give you a fine sense of how these two played together...
https://www.npr.org/artists/101338676/shirley-scott
Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
In this Piano Jazz episode recorded in 1992, we remember the remarkable talents of Shirley Scott, the "Queen of the Organ," as she solos on "Skylark" and joins host Marian McPartland for a piano duet of "In a Mellow Tone."
Shirley
Scott was born in Philadelphia in 1934. Famous for her impeccable sense
of swing and leadership within soul jazz, she developed her reputation
on the Hammond B3 organ. While she was growing up, her father ran a jazz
club in the family basement where prestigious musicians performed,
including pianist Red Garland, drummer Philly Joe Jones
and tenor saxophonist Al Steele. Scott herself began playing music when
her brother T.L. needed accompaniment for his tenor sax. She took up
the piano and quickly developed a thirst for solos. In high school, she
briefly played the trumpet, but finally settled with the B3 after
hearing a Jackie Davis recording.
Scott's breakthrough came in
1953, when the tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis heard her while
searching for an organist. Together, Scott and Davis were prolific
artists, releasing the popular series of Cookbook albums for Prestige Records. In 1958, Scott released her first solo recording, Great Scott,
and went on to record more than 50 solo albums throughout her career.
She also performed and recorded with her husband, tenor player Stanley Turrentine.
https://www.sfjazz.org/onthecorner/look-back-shirley-scotts-great-scott/
by Rusty Aceves
San Francisco Jazz.org
A LOOK BACK AT
SHIRLEY SCOTT’S GREAT SCOTT!
March 16, 2016 SHIRLEY SCOTT’S GREAT SCOTT!
by Rusty Aceves
San Francisco Jazz.org
Aptly named “Queen of the Organ,” Shirley Scott
(1934-2002) enjoyed a four-decade career that produced over 40 albums
running the gamut from intimate trio dates to big bands, exploring
bebop, soul jazz, hard bop, and Latin jazz. Like fellow Hammond organ
giants Jimmy Smith and Trudy Pitts, Scott was a Philadelphia native, and
rose to prominence as part of saxophone luminary Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis’
late 50s bands, contributing to nearly a dozen of his Prestige,
Moodsville and Roulette sessions into the early 60s.
The organist’s deft musicianship and elevated profile led to her own recording deal with Prestige, who released her debut, Great Scott!,
In 1958 – an auspicious first statement made with a trio comprised of
Davis bandmates George Duvivier on bass and drummer Arthur Edgehill. The
album (not to be confused with Scott’s similarly named 1964 Impulse!
release) boasts a soulful mix of blues, Latin tunes, uptempo burners and
ballads, with highlights including signature versions of Ray Noble’s
“Cherokee” and Miles Davis’ “Four.” Unusual for the organ trio format
and unlike her live performance preference, Scott chose to employ
Duvivier and not a typical melodic instrument like guitar or saxophone
for Great Scott!, a move that freed the organist to explore
without the added duty of holding down the bass foundation with bass
pedals or the left hand, while placing most of the soloing and heavy
melodic lifting on Scott herself. Enough material was recorded during
the May 23, 1958 session at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio for two
full LPs, and the remainder of the Great Scott! tracks appear on 1961’s Shirley’s Sounds.
The uphill battle faced by Scott and all other women in jazz to be taken seriously as musicians and equals can be seen in the liner notes for the original release, which are a typical product of their time and express the era’s prejudicial mindset, including such unfortunate declarations as: “Shirley Scott is a girl. At the organ she does a man-sized job.”
For the first few years of Scott’s career as a bandleader she continued to perform and record with Davis, and upon leaving his employ, Scott’s fiery melodicism can be heard on six superb 1960s records led by saxophonist (and then husband) Stanley Turrentine, including the Blue Note classics Dearly Beloved, Never Let Me Go, and Hustlin’. Scott performed and recorded steadily in to the late 1970s, when she began a second career as an educator, and returned to recording in the early 90s, releasing her final album, A Walkin’ Thing, on Candid in 1992. She performed at the 14th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival in November 1996, and died of congestive heart failure in 2002 at age 67.
Shirley Scott performing at the 14th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, Bimbo's 365 Club, November 3, 1996:
The organist’s deft musicianship and elevated profile led to her own recording deal with Prestige, who released her debut, Great Scott!,
In 1958 – an auspicious first statement made with a trio comprised of
Davis bandmates George Duvivier on bass and drummer Arthur Edgehill. The
album (not to be confused with Scott’s similarly named 1964 Impulse!
release) boasts a soulful mix of blues, Latin tunes, uptempo burners and
ballads, with highlights including signature versions of Ray Noble’s
“Cherokee” and Miles Davis’ “Four.” Unusual for the organ trio format
and unlike her live performance preference, Scott chose to employ
Duvivier and not a typical melodic instrument like guitar or saxophone
for Great Scott!, a move that freed the organist to explore
without the added duty of holding down the bass foundation with bass
pedals or the left hand, while placing most of the soloing and heavy
melodic lifting on Scott herself. Enough material was recorded during
the May 23, 1958 session at Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio for two
full LPs, and the remainder of the Great Scott! tracks appear on 1961’s Shirley’s Sounds.The uphill battle faced by Scott and all other women in jazz to be taken seriously as musicians and equals can be seen in the liner notes for the original release, which are a typical product of their time and express the era’s prejudicial mindset, including such unfortunate declarations as: “Shirley Scott is a girl. At the organ she does a man-sized job.”
For the first few years of Scott’s career as a bandleader she continued to perform and record with Davis, and upon leaving his employ, Scott’s fiery melodicism can be heard on six superb 1960s records led by saxophonist (and then husband) Stanley Turrentine, including the Blue Note classics Dearly Beloved, Never Let Me Go, and Hustlin’. Scott performed and recorded steadily in to the late 1970s, when she began a second career as an educator, and returned to recording in the early 90s, releasing her final album, A Walkin’ Thing, on Candid in 1992. She performed at the 14th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival in November 1996, and died of congestive heart failure in 2002 at age 67.
Shirley Scott performing at the 14th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, Bimbo's 365 Club, November 3, 1996:
Set List:
- "Au Privave" (Charlie Parker)
- "Skylark" (Hoagy Carmichael, John Mercer)
- "Embraceable You" (George, Ira Gershwin)
- "In a Sentimental Mood" (Duke Ellington)
- "Lester Leaps In" (Lester Young)
- "These Foolish Things" (Harry Link, Eric Maschwitz, Mitchell Parish)
- "Sophisticated Lady" (Ellington, Mills, Parish)
- "In a Mellow Tone" (Duke Ellington)
