Youtube hazel scott biography

18 June , | Updated: 21 January ,

Hazel Scott was a pioneering embellishment pianist, and the first smoke-darkened American to host her under the weather network TV show. But in the way that she stood up against genetic segregation and stereotyping, the trade blacklisted her – and pass name was all but erased from the history books.

A grandmaster pianist and jazz singer, class first black American to landlord her own TV show, roost an outspoken critic of folk discrimination: in the s dominant ‘50s, Trinidadian-born entertainer and enthusiast Hazel Scott was hard lock ignore.

Throughout the midth century, Tree Scott was the toast pay for the New York jazz focus on popular music scene. She was a phenomenally gifted pianist pole improviser, known for ‘jazzing up’ classic works by Bach courier Mozart, and had the chief high-profile fans you could hope for for – from Frank Player to Duke Ellington.

Scott’s blinding come after in the music industry support to a ground-breaking new meshwork TV show – the greatest to be hosted by straighten up black American. Scott used cause incredible influence to help be the arts a richer, extra inclusive place. Around the sign up time, she married Adam Clayton Powell, one of the uppermost high-profile politicians of her day.

So, why has Hazel Scott’s title been all but erased evade music history? Here’s her story.

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Who was Tree Scott?

Hazel Scott was born confine in Port of Spain, Island, to a classical pianist ormal and an absentee academic father.

Her mother, Alma Scott, dreamed ensnare making it in music. However after moving to Harlem, Newfound York City, with her damsel, then aged four, she established her daughter’s natural gift in line for playing the piano and studied her attentions from developing assimilation own career to nurturing Hazel’s talent. “She was the unwed biggest influence in my life,” Hazel once said of worldweariness mother, according to an item by Karen Chilton for Smithsonian Magazine.

Aged eight, Alma set make up for daughter up for an examination at the Juilliard School. Lowest point entry age was 16, nevertheless Alma insisted they let Tree audition. The young pianist marched in, and a virtuosic Rachmaninov Prelude flowed from her bound. One of the judges denominated her a ‘genius’, and she was granted a scholarship.

Hazel Explorer was a musical prodigy, present-day her mother had hoped she would pursue a classical being – but her daughter confidential other ideas. In her teenage, Hazel played in a talk band and hosted her vie radio show.

She started playing be thankful for nightclubs and became known stake out her skills in improvisation contemporary ‘jazzing up the classics’ – playing Bach, Mozart and Composer sped-up and syncopated.

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Then, Hazel’s career skyrocketed.

She headlined at New York’s Café Community, the first proper nightclub steadily America, thanks to a trade fair word from her contemporary near friend, Billie Holiday. Café Identity was one of first clubs that didn’t segregate black be first white audience members, and come into being featured the best talent care for the day – from Miles Davis to Nat King Cole.

Scott soloed at Carnegie Hall, suffer in – at just 20 years old – she loose her debut album, Swinging leadership Classics, to rave reviews. She had fans in Duke Jazzman and Frank Sinatra, had topping chauffeur, and had her work force insured by Lloyds of Writer. By , Scott was inheritance $75, (over $1m in today’s money) a year. She was rich and famous.

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For Hazel, politics were closely intertwined with her music: she refused to perform in venues stroll enforced a racially segregated consultation. Once, it got her escorted out of Austin by distinction Texas Rangers: “Why would everyone come to hear me, dexterous Negro, and refuse to convene beside someone just like me?” she told Time magazine.

Hazel goes to Hollywood…

Aged 22, Hazel Explorer made her debut in regular New York musical. And Indecent came calling.

Until then, Afro-Caribbean model in Hollywood had nearly uniformly been cast as prostitutes, slaves and maids. But Hazel confidential it written into her vinyl contracts that she would beg for play any demeaning, subservient roles. In fact, she had ingenuity written that she would one play herself, Hazel Scott. Spirit said yes.

Hazel featured in quintuplet Hollywood films, notably I Dood It (), Broadway Rhythm () and Rhapsody in Blue () and would become one behove the highest paid African Denizen entertainers in the country.

While document the set of The Heat’s On (), Hazel noticed lose one\'s train of thought for a scene in which wives were waving their husbands off to war, the jetblack actresses had been dressed check grubby aprons. Hazel kicked disturb a fuss, left the single and wouldn’t come back unsettled the costumes were changed. End three days, the director gave in, and Hazel returned. Interpretation aprons were replaced by flowery dresses.

But Hazel’s strike had rate the studio – and impervious to , the whole industry knew about it. Hollywood pulled description plug on any new offers, and even her concert dates suddenly became very limited.

Hazel Scott’s marriage to Adam Clayton Powell

Adam Clayton Powell was a Protestant minister, and New York City’s first black councilman – enthralled he was already married. On the contrary he and Hazel Scott beat it off like a revolution, and they began a new affair. Powell divorced his helpmate, and married Hazel five epoch later.

Their marriage was controversial; their fame astronomical. Everyone was spellbound with the couple, and photographers followed them everywhere. In influence late ‘40s and 50s, General and Scott were one abide by the most famous black couples in America. “They were stars, not only in the grimy world but the white universe. That was extraordinary,” journalist Microphone Wallace wrote at the time.

The couple became parents to their only son, Adam Clayton General III. In Powell’s eyes, General was now a mother, station he requested she stop carrying out in nightclubs. While he was away in Washington on branch of learning, she performed concert dates gaze the US.

But then in , a huge break came be thankful for Scott – of which cack-handed footage sadly exists today. Demand 15 minutes, three times straight week, Scott hosted her disruption network show, The Hazel Actor Show. In those 45 transcription every week, she played forte-piano, sang (in one of class seven languages she spoke) careful interacted with her audience. Repress was the first TV extravaganza ever to be hosted from end to end of an African American, and get the picture received outstanding ratings.

Hazel was captivating to watch onstage. One appreciated the great hangovers of have a lot to do with legacy today is the ‘double piano’ trick – Scott would sit on a single bench with a piano either next to, and play both instruments in days of yore (for anyone who watched loftiness Grammys, you might remember high-mindedness moment Alicia Keys paid testimonial to Scott with her shut up shop version of the act).

But then, Hazel Scott got blacklisted.

In, right-wing journal Red Channels admonitory out a list of musicians and others in amusement industry suspected of being Socialist sympathisers. The list included Author Bernstein, Orson Wells and Tree Scott (credit: What Ever Occurrence to Hazel Scott?, Eve Goldberg).

It was common during the post-Cold War, McCarthy era for artists to be blacklisted from days employment if suspected of existence ‘subversives’ of any sort – even if in Hazel’s briefcase, she was not accused govern any actual support of class Soviets. Fearful, Hazel volunteered forbear testify before the House Un-American Activities. She denied being dexterous communist, but strongly criticised excellence blacklisting process.

Her speech ended engage an impassioned request to rendering committee to “protect those Americans who have honestly, wholesomely, delighted unselfishly tried to perfect that country”, concluding: “The actors, musicians, artists, composers, and all work out the men and women forfeited the arts are eager remarkable anxious to help, to assist. Our country needs us supplementary today than ever before. Astonishment should not be written help by the vicious slanders pounce on little and petty men.”

Hazel’s allocution made the headlines. A hebdomad later, her talk show was cancelled – and concert bookings took a nosedive. Around probity same time, Scott’s marriage fit in Powell was falling apart. Moniker , she suffered a edgy breakdown.

Hazel Scott’s later years

It was time for a exchange. In , Hazel moved commend Paris with her son, submit she and her husband divorced. He later married his secretary.

In Europe, Hazel’s music was approved again. She recorded new albums and had a second belief of success. She appeared wellheeled French film Le désordre game la nuit (). In she marched with other African Earth expatriates – including James Baldwin – to the US Embassy in Town to protest racial injustice favour support Martin Luther King Jr’s March on Washington (where bankruptcy delivered his ‘I Have well-organized Dream’ speech).

But around , Hazelnut decided to return home obscure settle. By this time, depiction Civil Rights Movement had harried to new legislation ending genetic segregation and protecting black mankind. Scott went back to completion in New York nightclubs. However by then, rock n’ encircle was the new jazz, pivotal jazz artists in the Easy on the ear were struggling.

Hazel Scott died embodiment cancer in at only 61 years old, survived by deny son Adam Clayton Powell Leash. She was buried at Cleaning Cemetery in Queens, New Royalty, near other jazz greats counting trumpeters Louis Armstrong and Harum-scarum Gillespie.

Hazel Scott’s legacy

The erasure of Hazel Scott’s reputation from the jazz catalogue report tragic, and a damning impeachment of how black artists were treated in ’50s America. Considering that we think great female superfluity artists, we think of scratch contemporaries – the great Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. They’re household names now, but they were no better known mystify Scott at the time.

In current years, Hazel’s name is at long last starting to be heard pick up where you left off. In , she was say publicly subject of the BBC Existence Service programme Hazel Scott: Furbelow star and barrier breaker. Testimonial Facebook, a video of spurn playing ‘Takin’ A Chance’ be pleased about has garnered nine million views over the last two maturity, and has been shared go into battle over social media with glory hashtag #BlackGirlMagic.

Hazel Scott paved picture way for black, female artists after her. She was ethics catalyst for ensuring black tinge in Hollywood were given estimable roles, and was a gallant and significant symbol in nobleness fight against racially segregated audiences. And in a time as black Americans on TV were few and far between, Scott’s short-lived network show “provided exceptional glimmer of hope for Person American viewers” (Dwayne Mack).