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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.

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.

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Album Review

Shirley Scott: Queen Talk: Live at the Left Bank

Read "Queen Talk: Live at the Left Bank" reviewed by Stefano Merighi


Era la “regina dell'organo." Shirley Scott ha attraversato la stagione magica del jazz degli anni d'oro affiancando l'egemonia di Jimmy Smith, proponendo uno stile sempre graffiante ma più sofisticato ed elusivo, divenendo un simbolo di quella musica di comunità che a Philadelphia ha sempre incontrato grande entusiasmo. Una musica senza progetti particolari, erede di una tradizione popolare che dal gospel arriva ad un soul-jazz articolato, ricco di palpitante energia, talvolta selvaggio, tecnicamente impeccabile. Come dimostra questo doppio CD ...

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Album Review

Shirley Scott: Queen Talk: Live At The Left Bank

Read "Queen Talk: Live At The Left Bank" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Queen Talk is a fitting title for the current release from the archivist label Reel to Real Records as Hammond B-3 organist Shirley Scott had the soubriquet “Queen of the organ" at the height of her career. This limited-edition hand-numbered 180 gram 2-LP set produced by Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds presents a never-before-released live 1972 recording from the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore. Other heavyweights on this outline are tenor saxophonist George Coleman, drummer Bobby Durham and, for three tracks, ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

New Releases Plus A Celebration Of Octogenarian Women Of Jazz

Read "New Releases Plus A Celebration Of Octogenarian Women Of Jazz" reviewed by Mary Foster Conklin


This broadcast includes new releases from vocalists Susan Krebs, Tracey Yarad, Hailey Brinnel and Lizzie Thomas, with singles from drummer Cecilia Sanchietti and harpist Brandee Younger, plus birthday shoutouts to Jessica Williams, Nat King Cole, Berta Moreno, Queen of the Organ Shirley Scott, Michele Rosewoman and Mark Murphy, among others. Also a preview of a special concert featuring Octogenarian Woman of Jazz, with Carol Sudhalter, Keisha St. Joan, Bertha Hope, Paula Hampton and honorable man Bill Crow. Thanks for listening ...

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Album Review

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott: Cookin’ with Jaws and the Queen: The Legendary Prestige Cookbook Albums

Read "Cookin’ with Jaws and the Queen: The Legendary Prestige Cookbook Albums" reviewed by Mark Corroto


There is something undeniably hip about the four discs which make up Cookin' With Jaws And The Queen, the music by tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis and Hammond B3 organist Shirley Scott. Recorded in three sessions between June and December 1958, at Rudy Van Gelder's studio, which happened to be in his parents' home, the music deftly recreates the soul-jazz experience heard in nightclubs and maybe more significantly on jukeboxes. Davis made a name for himself in the ...

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Radio & Podcasts

From Bacharach to Earscratcher with a Serving of Soul Jazz In Between

Read "From Bacharach to Earscratcher with a Serving of Soul Jazz In Between" reviewed by David Brown


This week, we “Say a Little Prayer" for Burt Bacharach (RIP) with songs performed by Cécile McLorin Salvant, Anthony Braxton and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. A soulful set of Sonny Stitt leads us into a birthday shout out to band leader Chick Webb. Things get spicy with The Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook Vols 1-3 featuring Philly's Queen of the Organ, Shirley Scott. The evening wraps up with recent releases from James Brandon Lewis and the Messthetics, Dave Rempis' Earscratcher, and more.

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Album Review

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Shirley Scott: Cookin’ with Jaws and the Queen: The Legendary Prestige Cookbook Albums

Read "Cookin’ with Jaws and the Queen: The Legendary Prestige Cookbook Albums" reviewed by Jim Trageser


In a sign that the art of the box set continues to evolve, and that history never runs in a straight line, a lavishly produced box set of tenor giant Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis and organist Shirley Scott is being released not only on CD but on high grade vinyl LPs and downloads as well. Compare that to Bing Crosby's 1954 set, which came out on seventeen 45s in an actual box with a locking clasp and key.

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Album Review

Shirley Scott: Trio Classics, Vol. 1

Read "Trio Classics, Vol. 1" reviewed by Derek Taylor


Over the past several years Fantasy has made great strides in returning portions of the classic Shirley Scott catalog to print. Their assiduous attention illustrates both the quality of Scott’s reservoir of recordings and its depth. This latest two-fer package collects a pair of albums that originate from the same single-day 1958 Rudy Van Gelder session. Conveniently enough Great Scott! and Shirley’s Sounds represent the organist’s debut and sophomore efforts for the Prestige label respectively, and easy places to get ...

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Music Industry

Sonny Stitt, Shirley Scott and Walter Bishop Jr.

Sonny Stitt, Shirley Scott and Walter Bishop Jr.

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society was formed in 1964. It's claim to fame was promoting more than 800 jazz concerts at the city's Famous Ballroom at 1717 North Charles Street. Nearly every major jazz artist who came through the city was booked by the Society into the Ballroom, its interior modeled after New York's Roseland Ballroom. Most of the jazz shows initially were held on Sundays at 5 p.m., probably because it was the only evening when the space wasn't ...

Video / DVD

Shirley Scott in 8 Albums and 2 Videos

Shirley Scott in 8 Albums and 2 Videos

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Naturally, my afternoon with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine on Tuesday led to an afternoon with organist Shirley Scott yesterday. It was inevitable. Once you get Scottie in your ear, you want her to go on and on. I have virtually all of her albums, so I focused on her 1960s releases, which are loaded with powerful original blues and juicy takes on old and new standards. Scott loved to set the keyboards so the bottom sounded thick as she coordinated ...

Video / DVD

Shirley Scott: Like Cozy

Shirley Scott: Like Cozy

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Shirley Scott was an extraordinary organist. Whether in a trio setting or teamed with tenor saxophone giants Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis or Stanley Turrentine, her most frequent partners, Scott could rock. She was masterful at unleashing soulful chords and getting under your skin with swinging lines. She also could match her male partners note for note and often competitively pushed them to be groovier than they intended. But Scott also was a terrific pianist. An album that shows off her organ ...

1

Video / DVD

Shirley Scott + Clark Terry

Shirley Scott + Clark Terry

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

In August 1966, organist Shirley Scott and flugelhornist Clark Terry came together to record an album for Impulse. The album, Soul Duo, also featured bassists George Duvivier and Ben Cranshaw and drummer Mickey Roker, and was recorded four months after another date together—Roll 'Em: Shirley Scott Plays the Big Bands (Impulse). Unfortunately, Soul Duo would be the only album Scott and Clark would record in a small-group format. What makes this recording special is the conversational quality of Scott's dimensional ...

1

Video / DVD

Video: Shirley Scott, 1996

Video: Shirley Scott, 1996

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers


Music Industry

Shirley Scott + Kenny Burrell

Shirley Scott + Kenny Burrell

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

In February 1964—smack in the middle of two recording sessions with then husband and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine—organist Shirley Scott recorded with guitarist Kenny Burrell. She had just wrapped Hustlin' with Turrentine at the end of January and would be back in the studio for Blue Flames at the end of March. Backing Scott and Burrell on this Ozzie Cadena-produced album for Prestige were bassist Eddie Khan and drummer Otis “Candy" Finch. What makes this album so exciting is what's ...

Recording

Shirley Scott Plays Horace Silver

Shirley Scott Plays Horace Silver

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Organist Shirley Scott recorded seven albums in 1961— most of them the usual organ-trio suspects for Prestige: Blues intermingled with standards plus a couple of dates with new husband and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. But in November, Scott deviated from the norm for one date—Shirley Scott Plays Horace Silver, with Henry Grimes on bass and Otis “Candy" Finch on drums. The session seems as though it was of her choosing and even insistence, since she recorded Hip Twist with Turrentine ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz Night at the Michener Museum, featuring Tim Warfield and The Shirley Scott Tribute Band on May 21

Jazz Night at the Michener Museum, featuring Tim Warfield and The Shirley Scott Tribute Band on May 21

Source: Ilene Dube

Join us for Jazz Night at the Michener, featuring: Tim Warfield, saxophones Pat Bianchi, organ Terell Stafford, trumpet Byron Landham, drums Daniel Sadownick, percussion Saturday, May 21, 8 to 11 pm Saxophonist and York, PA native, Tim Warfield debuted his latest release, A Sentimental Journey featuring trumpeter, Terell Stafford, organist, Pat Bianchi, and drummer Byron Landham. This established major artist, with a string of fine Criss Cross label releases, has appeared on ...

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Recording

Shirley Scott: Hip Soul

Shirley Scott: Hip Soul

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

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] ...

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Interview

Shirley Scott - "Queen of the Organ"

Shirley Scott - "Queen of the Organ"

Source: Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson

Jazz history is riddled with stories about the tragic consequences of drug use. But organist Shirley Scott was certainly the only jazz musician to succumb to the effects of a diet drug. Scott was born in Philadelphia in 1934. She played piano and trumpet before settling in at the Hammond B-3 organ. She was an admirer of fellow Philadelphian Jimmy Smith, as were so many other jazz artists. Scott first came to prominence working with  sax great Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Cookin’ with Jaws...

Craft Recordings
2023

buy

Queen Talk: Live at...

Reel to Real records
2023

buy

Trio Classics, Vol. 1

Prestige Records
2004

buy

Trio Classics, Volume...

Prestige Records
2004

buy

Something

Verve Records
2001

buy

Like Cozy

Prestige Records
2001

buy

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