Hazel Scott - The Chronological Classics '2007

Tracks list

Though she didnt call it third stream, and it wasnt associated with the genre,
Hazel Scott was another musician who found a successful way to blend jazz and
classical influences. Scott took classical selections and improvised on them, a
practice dating back to the ragtime era. Such numbers as Hungarian Rhapsody, no.
2 (Liszt) backed by Valse in D Flat Major, op. 64 no. 1 (Chopin) were audience
favorites, even if some critics suggested they smacked of gimmickry (which
sometimes they did). Scott was also a good bebop soloist, nice ballad
interpreter, fair blues player, and underrated vocalist. Her nightclub act was
often more appealing than her albums, where the absence of mitigating
circumstances like an audience and club setting resulted in her compositions
getting more scrutiny than they could stand. Scott studied classical piano at
Juilliard from the age of eight, while also playing jazz in clubs. She became an
attraction at downtown and uptown branches of Cafe Society in the late 30s and
early 40s. Scott had her own radio show in 1936, appeared on Broadway in 1938,
and was in five films during the 40s, among them Rhapsody in Blue. She wrote
such songs as Love Comes Softly and Nightmare Blues. Scott later had her own
television show and was married to Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Their highly
visible, high-profile relationship degenerated under the heat of a nationwide
obsession with Powells activities, influence, and behavior, finally ending in
divorce. Scott recorded for Decca, Signature, Tioch, and Columbia, but made her
finest jazz album for Charles Mingus Debut label, Relaxed Piano Moods, in 1955.
Mingus and Max Roach joined Scott on this session.

Tracks:

 01. Valse in C Sharp Minor (3:04)
 02. How High the Moon (2:44)
 03. A Rainy Night in G (3:07)
 04. I Guess Ill Have to Change My Plans (3:29)
 05. Sonata in C Minor/Toccata (1:24)
 06. Fantasie Impromptu (3:41)
 07. Nocturne in B Flat Minor (3:28)
 08. Idyll (3:49)
 09. On the Sunny Side of the Street (3:08)
 10. Ive Got the World on a String (2:35)
 11. Butterfly Kick (2:35)
 12. Ich will sich spielen (3:09)
 13. Emaline (2:45)
 14. Nightmare Blues (3:15)
 15. Mary Lou (2:43)
 16. Soon (2:51)
 17. Brown Bee Boogie (2:57)
 18. Love Me or Leave Me (3:08)
 19. Love Will Find a Way (2:51)
 20. Dancing on the Ceiling (2:55)

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