The late jazz pianist Hazel Scott was so great at her craft and so popular that the U.S. Government targeted her in the early 50s for having communist ties. With no concrete evidence, they rallied against Scott because she was headlining the club Café Society, the first integrated New York jazz club. “She was guilty by association,” said Scott biographer Karen Chilton.
Scott was a highly influential jazz pianist, singer, and activist, and during the Red Scare of the 50s, she and other jazz musicians also caught heat from the HUAC (House un-American Activities Committee).
Scott was committed to defending her stellar and hard-earned reputation. She was raised among the vibrant Harlem jazz scene, was mentored by legendary figures like Art Tatum and Billie Holiday, and considered Holiday an aunt.
She voluntarily went before HUAC to plead her case, accompanied by a 50-page letter.
Scott was defiant until the end. She said: “American artists go out into the world to uphold what an American ideal is.” In the end, she was blacklisted and her career was affected. Afterward, she moved to Paris and other places in Europe for 10 years.
Born in Trinidad in 1920, Scott studied at New York’s The Julliard School at the age of 8. According to Chilton—the esteemed South Side Chicago native and acclaimed author—this was a victory in itself. “The Julliard School didn’t have Blacks and certainly didn’t have women. It was all but an all-boys school,” she said.
“She was a great musician in two worlds that didn’t have admiration, respect or tolerance for women and certainly not Black people.”
Moreover, Chilton said that she believes folks are shocked to learn that, at her peak, Scott was the highest paid Black performer.
She mentioned the popularity of Black jazz musicians and the women counterparts’ perception as being merely entertainers.
“Scott couldn’t just sing with the band, she could swing with the band,” said Chilton, as evidenced by her later joining in with Charlie Mingus and Max Roach, who were considered the “young lions” with their creation of be-bop.
Scott excelled in third stream music and rallied for civil rights. This is the reason—as well as her star turn at having the first Black television show in 1950–why she’s being honored at the upcoming Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Think Big! fundraising event to be held on the Philharmonic’s 20th anniversary.
The Think Big! event will be held on June 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Logan Center for the Arts, located at 915 E. 60th St.
Scott had all but been forgotten in the canons of jazz greats, much like Black-centered accomplishments are currently being threatened. This event brings to the fore her extraordinary legacy.
Equally celebrating Black Music Month, Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP)—renowned as America’s definitive third stream orchestra—will musically bring the genre—the blending of jazz and classical music, as highlighted by Scott’s repertoire, to event attendees.
Scott would take a Bach composition and add bass notes and syncopation to it—making it, for lack of a better word, danceable.
“She is the ‘Queen of the third stream’,” said Laura Rice, Executive Director, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.
Her groundbreaking contributions paved the way for future generations. By the age of 25, she was an international sensation—yet her journey was fraught with personal struggles and the harsh realities faced by artists of color during turbulent times.
All this disruption was levied against her, despite her having been married to the powerful New York Congressman Adam Clayton Powell from 1945 to 1960.
During the Think Big! event, Chilton will examine Scott’s life, as revealed in the Chilton book “HAZEL SCOTT: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist from Café Society to Hollywood to HUAC.” This audio-visual experience will feature never-before-seen archival footage of Scott’s illustrious performances, candid interviews and personal moments.
This narrated tour de force promises to immerse the audience in the vibrant world of Scott and “jazzing the classics” with CJP’s unique exploration of third stream music.
Afterward, Chilton, CJP’s artistic director, Orbert Davis, and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music dean emerita, Toni-Marie Montgomery, will have an intimate conversation about Scott’s legacy.
They will explore her profound impact on music, highlighting her performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, her poignant rivalry with pianist Dorothy Donegan and her civil rights advocacy—all the while connecting Scott’s and CJP’s mission.
Think Big! Awards will be presented to Chilton, who is also a playwright, librettist, and actor, for leading the preservation and revival of Scott’s tremendous and historic contributions to American music.
“She has preserved history that needed to be preserved and brought it to the public—in a way that it seems that Scott is still with us,” Rice said.
Toni-Marie Montgomery, DMA, will also be presented with a Think Big! Award for her impact as a visionary education leader, institution builder and concert pianist.
“Toni raised $111 million to build the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. She’s an institution builder,” Rice said.
Karen Chilton’s work spans television, film and theater. Her book, which she has recently adapted for both stage and screen. was used by PBS for much of the source material for their documentary “The Disappearance of Miss Scott.”
She is an award-winning narrator and voiceover artist; her libretti include a recent adaptation of Scott Joplin’s seminal opera Treemonisha, created in collaboration with composer Damien Sneed, among others.
Toni-Marie Montgomery is the second recipient of a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano chamber music and accompanying from the University of Michigan. She also received a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan. Montgomery has served as a Chicago Symphony Orchestra Governing Member since 2004, among other degrees and appointments.
Orbert Davis Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. Music has the power to enhance all lives. This core belief has always been at the heart of CJP. When musicians and lifelong friends Orbert Davis and Mark Ingram saw the powerful impact of the arts on elementary school students, they founded a music education program to expand the number of lives music could touch.
In 2004, Davis received an invitation from the Jazz Institute of Chicago to “think big” when planning his appearance—with a 55-piece jazz orchestra—at that year’s Jazz Festival, which marked the first time a resident Chicago Jazz artist headlined the festival, and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic was born.
As part of a paid admission, audience members will receive a copy of Chilton’s book.
For more information on this extraordinary celebration or to contribute to CJP’s mission, visit www.chijazzphil.org and click on Hazel Scott.
“For those who click on the link to buy a $100 ticket to Think Big!, they will only be charged $50, when they use the promo code, CJP, said Rice.
Elaine Hegwood Bowen, M.S.J., is the Entertainment Editor for the Chicago Crusader. She is a National Newspaper Publishers Association ‘Entertainment Writing’ award winner, contributor to “Rust Belt Chicago” and the author of “Old School Adventures from Englewood: South Side of Chicago.” For info, https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/englewoodelaine/.