JIMMY SCOTT
"Jimmy Scott has the most unique swinging soul in the universe."
"Jimmy Scott's singing shines a warm light into the lonelinest spaces of the heart."
"Absolutely no one sounds like Jimmy Scott. His penetrating, almost feminine tenor, with its wide vibrato and behind-the-beat phrasing, absorbs every nuance of a lyric."
Country:
USA
EVERYBODY'S SOMEBODY'S FOOL (Compilation) (1999)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott( vocals )1-4 / Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra5-7 / unknown8-11 / Billy Taylor and His Orchestra 12-15 / Lucky Thompson and His Orchestra
Recording date :
4 / January 5, 1950
1 / January 25, 1950
2-3 / January 26, 1950
5-7 / January 10, 1952
8-11 / March 5, 1952
12-15 / August 1, 1952
Tracklist:
01 Everybody's Somebody's Fool
02 I Wish I Knew
03 Please Give Me A Chance
04 I've Been A Fool (Thinking You Cared)
05 Wheel Of Fortune
06 Come What May
07 They Say You Cry
08 When You Surrender
09 Alone With A Memory
10 Do You Mind If I Hang Around?
11 Something From A Fool
12 Why Was I Born?
13 The Bluest Blues
14 You Never Miss The Water ('Til The Well Runs Dry)
15 Solitude
Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79865518/somebody_fool.rar.html
This is a compilation album of 15 songs which were recorded for Decca, Coral and Brunswick labels in 1950 and 1952. Includes Little Jimmy Scott's incredible first recordings, with Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra, Billy Taylor and His His Orchestra and Lucky Thompson and His Orchestra.Three tracks(No.9,10,13) were never-before released. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," recorded at his second session with Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra, gave him the first and only chart hit, placing at No. 6 on Billboard's list of R&B jukebox platters. Jimmy Scott has sung this song every so often as encore at live performaces.
"Unfortunately I just learned about 'Little' Jimmy Scott within' the last few years. Or perhaps it's better to say i've only come to appreciate him in the last few years. When I first heard him I was rather put off by the feminine quality of his voice. But as i've matured and learned to just listen without prejudice and bring much more experience and maturity to his phenomenal recordings I have to rank him as one of the great artists of our time.His voice has that quality of what I like to call irony. He can convey both pleasure and pain at the same time with a single note. Beauty and sadness. Joy and sorrow. There's a depth of understanding and conveyance that I can only equate to one other singer. Billie Holiday.The songs on this album are quite simple but they are delivered with so much feeling and clarity that they are elevated by Jimmy's performance.I have also purchased the Bravo Profiles cd which is not listed here on Amazon but contains some absolutely marvelous renditions of some rather poignant songs. My personal favorite has to be his rendition of the Unchained Melody. I have to say that I think that this may be the most beautiful rendition of ANY song that i've ever heard. The arrangements are beyond belief and I can only describe his singing by relating a story. While driving from the northeast to Florida I was playing that cd. When that song came on and Jimmy started singing it brought tears to my eyes. It was like I had never heard that song before although i've heard it performed by many other numerous times. But I have to say that I heard something in his delivery that I have never heard before. If I ever get married that's the song that i'll play for the first dance.Jimmy is probably the best artist that very few people have ever heard of and probably even fewer can really appreciate."
"Anyone familiar with Jimmy Scott since he was re-embraced by fans in the early 90s knows that he is an artist on the same caliber with the greatest talents in the history of jazz -- Bille Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman.While he is still a great talent, he may have been in even finer voice on these Lionel Hampton and other recordings. His voice truly soars here.Much of what an audience hears in Scott's performances today is a reflection of his age. His clear enunciations, his evocation of the simple yet profound lyrics of the standards he favors, his performative flair, are all achievements of a man and an artist who has tasted life and learned from it.The young Jimmy Scott is a different animal -- young, vibrant, and devil may care, his zest and passion are unmistakeable and infectious."
FALLING LOVE IS WONDERFUL (1962) (Re-issue 2003)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )A-1, 5, B-4 / Marty Paich ( arrange )A-2-4, B-1-3, 5 / Gerald Wilson ( arrange )
There is no credit of players, but Ray Charles was on piano.
Produced by Joe Adams Supervised by Ray Charles
Recorded at United Recordings Studios, Hollywood, California in 1962
Tracklist:
01 They Say Its Wonderful
02 I Wish I Didnt Love You So
03 There Is No Greater Love
04 If I Should Lose You
05 Why Try To Change Me Now
06 Im Getting Sentiental Over You
07 Someone To Watch Over Me
08 How Deep Is The Ocean
09 I Didnt Know What Time It Was
10 Sunday Monday Or Always
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80176020/falling_.rar.html
The original 1962 recording of the remarkable singer (as featured in a PBS/Independent Lens documentary) that was produced by (and features performances by) Ray Charles.
"Finally, this great lost LP is now on CD, and everyone can hear the artistry that is Jimmy Scott. It's a tragedy that due to tangled legal issues, "Falling In Love Is Wonderful" was quickly pulled in 1963 shortly after it's initial release. ... Jimmy's career was frustrated by this, and so one of the greatest jazz vocal LPs became something of a Holy Grail for those discriminating listeners determined to find a rare copy in music stores or online. But now all the legal issues are resolved and everyone can enjoy this remarkable record on CD. To think of the lost opportunities to Scott's career could make one weep. And to listen to Scott's mesmerizing vocals could bring a tear to one's eye on classic tracks like "They Say It's Wonderful" and "Someone To Watch Over Me". I can't recommend this CD enough!"
"This album has the best back-story of all of Jimmy Scott's albums: Ray Charles plucks Scott from a downward career slide and gives him a first-class orchestral pop treatment--only to see the evil Herman Lubinsky (Savoy Records' owner) ruin the whole thing with a threatened lawsuit (the record was pulled from the racks).
(Context: In the 1950s, Jimmy Scott evidently carelessly signed all manner of contracts put before him by Lubinsky; Joel Dorn has called Lubinsky "a hemorrhoid of a human...whom even the worst record business golems of the era shunned.")
Okay, so all of that is interesting, and the album does hold up. But does it surpass his first two Warner Bros. records, or his Atlantic sessions from 1969 and 1972 (scattered over "Lost and Found" and "The Source")? In my opinion, no, it doesn't surpass those works. Scott isn't allowed to stretch out quite as fully here (most of the tracks clock in at 3:30-4:00), and the orchestral arrangements aren't quite as tasty as the sonic divans created for his subsequent pop masterpieces. This record is one of his best, make no mistake, but not the holy grail of legend, the greatest thing he ever did.
So start with the first two on Warner Bros. and the Atlantic Records stuff, and then get this record, the Savoy stuff, his recent series on Milestone, and the Decca sides. Then choose very carefully among what's left--there are a couple of sessions that aren't worth purchasing.
BTW, the liner notes hint that Ray Charles (who, to be fair, put out a lot of cash and time to make this record happen in the first place) was acting a little Lubinsky-like after Scott's ship finally came in in the early 1990s:
"Only one question remains: Why did the producer [Charles] wait so long to finally release the record? After all, when Lubinsky died in 1985, the threat of lawsuits died along with him.
"Timing is everything," says Brother Ray. "And right now, it's Jimmy Scott's time."
Ray allowed Rhino handmade a limited domestic release which carried premium price around the time that David Ritz's authorized biography came out. Now one must pay import prices to get this album. The indignities never end..."
"Ray Charles wanted to highlight Jimmy Scott's ballad ability, and he does here. What keeps this CD from being rated 5 stars is that there is not much variation in tempi. Otherwise, Scott's ability to get inside a ballad and make it his own is exemplary. The title cut, for example, is the most moving version of this song I have ever heard and I think is the strongest cut. Charles' piano complements and, in fact, comments a bit on the lyrics and there is some great byplay between the vocalist and pianist. The stereo mix is a bit extreme (The mono mix might present a more coherent image, but you might lose Charles' piano, by himself, out in the left channel).This is thoroughly enjoyable and it's great to see it re-released."
THE SOURCE (1969) (Re-issue 2001)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott( vocals )
1-8 / Junior Mance ( piano ), Eric Gale or Billy Butler ( guitar ), Ron Carter ( bass ) Bruno Carr ( drums ), David Newman( flute, tenor sax )
3 / Joe Gentle ( tenor sax )
2 / Cissy Houston ( vocal obligato )
1, 2, 4, 7, 8 / Arif Mardin ( arrange )
3, 5, 6 / William Fischer ( arrange )
1 - 8 / String orchestra under direction of Gene Orloff & Selwart Clarke
Produced by Joel Dorn
Recorded by Adrian Barber & William Arlt : March 3-5, 1969
Tracklist:
01 Exodus
02 On Broadway
03 Our Day Will Come
04 I Wish I Knew
05 Unchained Melody
06 Day by Day
07 Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
08 This Love of Mine
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80181988/the_source.rar.html
"This album was recorded in 1969 and it truly captures Scott's mastery of melody. His high tenor voice gently floats through each melody with delicate phrasing. If you know his life story, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" will send shivers down your spine. His phrasing and use of space puts his signature on each song. Thank you Jimmy Scott!"
"It is very rare: an album that contains ONLY verrrry good songs! This is certainly a deserted island must. At least for those who are touched by Jimmy Scott's voice and how he uses it masterfully as an instrument of art. This is the master of jazz ballad singing, or call it torch song if you want, but no-bo-dy interprets them like Jimmy does! The key word is INTENSITY.
Countless great artists adore him, respect him, (just check his official website), yet he seems to remain a cult figure.
Often on the edge of exaggeration, Jimmy Scott does remain credible with his passionate and powerful high singing. His exceptional (slow) phrasing accentuates each word, each syllable, each note. This man doesn't sing a song, he lives it (he does know what it is to be a "motherless child"). Pure artistry is this respect, or even better: LOVE, for rythm, melody and lyrics. The choice of songs is superb. Too many favourites to name any, although ON BROADWAY stands apart as different in tone (a groove!), yet delicious too. The opener, EXODUS, has a fascinating grandeur and something mysterious. DAY BY DAY is generally considered as one of his most exceptional and unforgettable interpretations (and I agree). But, ALL is great; in fact, this album is really TOO special a collection of masterpieces to listen to in one time; one should only listen to one song a day!
I'm not sure if this is the best album to get to know Jimmy Scott, but it is surely his most intense album, the top of his work. Keep in mind that, back in 1969, it was the first album this man could finally do all as he wanted, without any commercial rules or restrictions.
Timeless art. Breaks your heart. Feeds your soul.
The final note leaves you breathless and emotionally exhausted as if Jimmy used your own energy too... Try it!
** [For those who like it a bit more sweet and smooth, I recommend his other masterpiece, the hauntingly romantic "Falling in love is wonderful" (1962), arranged with beautiful strings, where Jimmy Scott renders a new quality to jazz crooning. Ray Charles was there and bowed his head in respect]."
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ALL THE WAY (1992)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1-9 / Kenny Barron ( piano ), Ron Carter ( bass ), Grady Tate ( drums ) John Pisano( guitar ), David "Fathead" Newman ( sax )Arranged by Dale Oehler ( 1, 2 ), Johnny Mandel ( 3, 5, 7, 9), John Clayton( 4, 6, 8 )10 / Angelo Badalamenti, Kinny Landrum ( keyboards ) Vinnie Bell ( electric & bass guitars ), Ron Carter ( acoustic bass ), Alvin Flythe, Jr. ( sax ), Ken-Ichi Shimazu ( piano ), Brian Kirk ( drums )
Produced by Tomy LiPuma
Notes:
Recorded by Al Schmitt : at Power Station; Capitol Studios 1992 (except No.10)
Tracklist:
01 All the Way
02 Embraceable You
03 Angel Eyes
04 At Last
05 Someone to Watch over Me
06 Every Time We Say Goodbye
07 I'll Be Around
08 My Foolish Heart
09 I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80169616/all_the_way_.rar.html
"The recording history of Little Jimmy Scott is peppered with long hiatuses from the recording studio. He was absent for a period of seven years from 1962 to 1969 and then for more than 15 years from 1975 to 1990. Bordering on singing in the range of a counter tenor, Scott brings a distinctive, immediately recognizable sound and sensitivity to material he sings. It is hard to find any other vocalist, other than Billie Holiday, who matches Scott's depth of emotion that he applies to the classic standards he favors. All the Way was recorded more than 40 years after Scott made his first album for Roost. Over those years, even with his long absences, he has been able to command the services of top of the line musicians. He is one of those rare vocalists that jazz musicians like to be on the stage or in the studio with. And this album is no exception, featuring an all-star lineup that includes Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and Grady Tate on rhythm. David "Fathead" Newman's soulful sax on such cuts as "All the Way" compliments Scott's delivery perfectly. Like Scott, Newman leaves abundant room between the measures to allow the song to breathe, the listeners to gain the full flavor of what he has played and to anticipate what's to follow in a second or two. On such tunes as "Angel Eyes" and "At Last," Scott's delivery goes beyond mere poignancy, and moves close to reverence, such respect he has for the classics he has put in the song list. This is good stuff. Strings magically appear on some tracks. But they are done tastefully and don't get in the way. Jimmy McDonough's knowledgeable highlights of Scott's career are a welcome added attraction."
Jimmy Scott is beyond category, an interpreter of ballads at tempos so languorous they seem practically motionless, hovering atmospherically in the air like the smoke in a barroom. All but forgotten when he recorded this album in 1992 at the age of 66, it stands as his finest achievement, the capstone of a career marked by extraordinary promise and devastating disappointment--including a legendary Ray Charles-produced album in 1962 that had to be withdrawn because of a contractual dispute. Scott's voice is uniquely androgynous and capable of marvelous subtlety; the closer you listen, the more it seems to blur (and transcend) characteristics of sex and age. That quality has made him a favorite of folks like director David Lynch, but his musicianship makes all other concerns superfluous. Here he's accompanied by first-class jazz musicians: Kenny Barron (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Grady Tate (drums), John Pisano (guitar), and David "Fathead" Newman (sax). And the songs are world-class as well: "Embraceable You," "Angel Eyes," "Every Time We Say Goodbye," and of course the title tune. But perhaps the greatest of all is "My Foolish Heart." Never was there a voice more suited sing these words: "There's a fine line between love and infatuation/That's hard to see on a night such as this." Like I said: beyond category. --Jim Emerson
"We saw Jimmy Scott at Yoshi's Dec 99 in a guest appearance with Jimmy Mcgriff and Hank Crawford. I never heard of Jimmy Scott, and to tell the truth, was slightly uncomfortable during the performance. This was not like anything I had ever heard before, and its not often that you see an artist so totally involved with the presentation - not just going through the motions or putting on a show. But I kept hearing the singing. We purchased ALL THE WAY on the way out of Yoshi's , and have listened to it often. Sinatra does a classic ALL THE WAY, and it took me a couple of listenings to fully appreciate Scott's version. Its totally unique and affecting. Get the CD and listen to it through at least 3 times ... you'll keep coming back for more."
"If you like your music with heartache, intensity, and tempos that feel like a bubblebath at 100 degrees, buy this album. I knock off one star, only because that mood is pervasive throughout; it's a "one mood" album. With that limitation, it's quite an album. Jimmy Scott has done probably the most heartfelt interpretation ever of the extremely oft-covered Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye", possibly Porter's most heartfelt song. That one sticks out in my mind as the highlight of this set, but I could say the same things about the title track. Great album for getting your "significant other" in the mood for "sack time.""
"This CD is simply AMAZING. Jimmy's voice is truly unique and his phrasing is just impeccable. As other writers have noted, Jimmy's style of singing is very slow & deliberate, as though he wants you to feel every note & breath that he takes. Every song on this cd will take you on an emotional journey, reach into your soul & when the song is over, all you will be able to say is "Wow". I have played this cd during many intimate gatherings and let me tell you, there are many new Jimmy Scott fans in Seattle. CD's may come & go, but this one continues to be in my cd player."
More review:
HEAVEN (1996)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals ),Jacky Terrasson ( piano, arrange ), Joseph Bonadio ( percussin ), Hilliard Greene ( bass )
Produced by Craig Street
Notes:
Recorded by Danny Kopelson : at Sear Sound March & April, 1996
Tracklist:
01 Heaven
02 All My Tears
03 Wayfarin' Stranger
04 People Get Ready
05 He Looks Beyond My Faults
06 When He Returns
07 What Are They Doing In Heaven Today
08 Just As I Am
09 There's No Disappointment In Heaven
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79885363/heaven.rar.html
"The voice is stunning, of course, and pianist Jacky Terrasson provides lovely accompaniment, but the hook for neophytes is the repertoire--"People Get Ready," "Heaven" by the Talking Heads, and Bob Dylan's "When He Returns" included." --Jeff Bateman
"If you have acquired a taste for Jimmy Scott's unusual, and brilliant, singing then this is an album you can't miss. I particularly appreciate this album for it's sincere and moving gospel material. It is an album that is both spiritual and musically sophisticated... I wish I could find more like this! The thing that catches your interest is the unusual mix of material: classic gospel tunes with material of a more recent vintage, (like a Bob Dylan tune). But the quality of the album I have ended up appreciating in the end is the sensitivity of Jacky Terrasson's arrangements and Jimmy Scott's singing. They make the material their own. They also introduced me to "All My Tears" by Julie Miller, one of the most wonderful gospel songs I've ever heard. That one track is worth the price of admission alone. A small flaw is the selection of "Heaven" by the anti-religious David Byrne (of Talking Heads). The song is performed wonderfully, but the cynical lyrics are jarring next to the rest of the material. If you enjoy this, be sure to check out Jacky Terrasson's album with Cassandra Wilson which is also excellent. Thanks Mr. Terrasson & Mr. Scott and God bless you!"
"An excellent album. Jacky Terrasson on piano presented the perfect foil to Mr. Scott's vocals. Something that you can listen to anytime of the day but especially when you're alone at home in the middle of the night. The spiritual theme might not be to everybody's liking but if you are a jazz fan, it is one album you certainly would like to have."
"Finally Jimmy Scott is getting recorded often, with musicians sensitive to his style and singing, and with the freedom to stretch out on ballads. Compare his version of Imagination recorded for Savoy back in the 50s and the one on this CD. The earlier recording was timed at less than 3 minutes while the song recorded this year took almost 7 minutes. (Some of that time is given to the instrumentalists for solos but Scott takes the song at a slower pace too.) The earlier version seemed too fast, especially for a singer like Jimmy Scott who is legendary for his phrasing, extending individual words, pronouncing every syllable and pausing for full effect. The two and three minute songs released in the 50s really do not do him justice simply because he was forced to sing faster than he normally would have sung in a nightclub date for instance. Although many of those songs are great too, I can always imagine what he would have done if free to sing as he wanted to sing. On this recording of Imagination I no longer have to imagine. The musicians on this album seem well suited to Scott's music. On three tracks he works with his own road band, the Jazz Expressions, while on most of the other tracks we hear Hank Crawford on alto sax, Cyrus Chestnut on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. Gregoire Maret adds his Toots Thielemans-like harmonica effectively to Imagination, Without A Song, How Deep Is the Ocean?, and Blue Skies. Also Joe Beck's guitar, featured on There Will Never Be Another You and one of two renditions of the title cut Mood Indigo is particularly impressive. The guitar that he uses, called an alto guitar, is tuned a fifth lower than a usual guitar and has a haunting, full, almost ringing quality on the two ballads. Jimmy Scott's vocals make the songs doubly haunting, especially on Mood Indigo. The whole CD is extremely good but check out the 2 quite different versions of Mood Indigo, Time After Time with Scott and piano accompaniment alone, Without A Song,How Deep Is The Ocean?, Imagination, and There Will Never Be Another You. Overall this is an album to be compared with the singer's recent successes, All The Way, Dream and Holding Back The Years. As Lou Reed put it: "I hope he keeps singing until there isn't another song to sing." "
HOLDING BACK THE YEARS (1998)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )Pamela Fleming (trumpet), Bruce Kirby (sax), Matt Muniseri (guitar), Michael Kanan (piano),Hilliard Greene (bass), Victor Jones (drums), Gregorie Maret (harmonica), Charles Coleman (string arrangement),Susan Aquila, Hye Kyung Seo, Wayne Graham & David Gotay (string quartet)
Produced by Gerry McCarthy & Dale Ashley
Notes:
Recorded by Dave Kowalski at Hillside Studio and Dale Ashley at Grace Note Studios
Tracklist:
01 What I Wouldn't Give
02 The Crying Game
03 Jealous Guy
04 Holding Back The Years
05 How Can I Go On
06 Almost Blue
07 Slave To Love
08 Nothing Compares 2 U
09 Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
10 Don't Cry Baby
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80177972/holding_.rar.html
This is an album of covers that featured almost the pop hit songs in 1970s-1990s. Jimmy Scott has sung them in his inimitable, jazz-informed style. It sounds like that those songs would be Jimmy's original ones by his unique singing, speaking behind the beat and changing the phrasings.Including Boy George's "The Crying Game", John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", Simply Red's "Holding Back The Years", Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue", Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love", Sinead O'Conner's "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince composed this song and covered it by himself), and Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word".
There's always something unearthly about hearing Jimmy Scott, the jazz ballad singer whose startlingly high voice stands in marked contrast to the deep baritones, like Billy Eckstine and Johnny Hartman, who largely defined the art. The material here may come as a surprise, too, drawing on the rock era for songs by John Lennon, Bryan Ferry, Prince, and Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, whose work has rarely, if ever, appeared in a jazz context. It's a refreshing change to hear a senior jazz singer breaking with the standard repertoire and to hear these tunes accompanied by an acoustic rhythm section, with occasional touches of strings and muted trumpet. Scott's eerily plaintive voice brings a different poignancy to the gospel-tinged "Jealous Guy" and "Nothing Compares 2 U." This may be novel, but it's also substantial. --Stuart Broomer
"I first stumbled across "Little" Jimmy Scott thanks to a friend who sent me a copy of All The Way, one of the most beautiful albums I own. I was immediately taken in by Scott's voice, a high, lonesome, silky instrument that can wring tears out of the most cold-hearted cad. I then bought the equally superb Lost & Found, a great album filled with stuff Jimmy had recorded in the early seventies which saw very limited release. Again, that album blew me away thanks to a sumptuous reading of "Unchained Melody" that made me completely forget The Righteous Borthers' version. Dream was another winner with broody production and gritty edges that suited Jimmy's voice to a tee. Heaven was a little more problematic, the songs a trifle unsure, the production a shade clinical. Holding Back The Years is a fine album of great modern-day (for the most part) covers. It's astounding to hear Jimmy emote his way through Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love" and Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" And, after the shock of hearing him sing "Jealous Guy" wears off, you listen to the album again. And again. And again. You think: "How effortless, how passionate. How sad, how beautiful." That's the power of Jimmy Scott. Aren't a fan? Never heard of him? Think of what you're missing! Gorgeous."
"Oh man!!! It's like Jimmy Scott stepped out of the wings, tapped Bryan Ferry on the shoulder and politely wrenched the microphone from his hand. I can imagine him saying something like "Take five my man, let a true veteran show you how this song is supposed to sound..."
Genre:
Jazz
Style:
Smooth Jazz, Easy Listening
VIDEO
"All Of Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9G7b1LlFr4
Jazz
Style:
Smooth Jazz, Easy Listening
VIDEO
"All Of Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9G7b1LlFr4
EVERYBODY'S SOMEBODY'S FOOL (Compilation) (1999)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott( vocals )1-4 / Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra5-7 / unknown8-11 / Billy Taylor and His Orchestra 12-15 / Lucky Thompson and His Orchestra
Recording date :
4 / January 5, 1950
1 / January 25, 1950
2-3 / January 26, 1950
5-7 / January 10, 1952
8-11 / March 5, 1952
12-15 / August 1, 1952
Tracklist:
01 Everybody's Somebody's Fool
02 I Wish I Knew
03 Please Give Me A Chance
04 I've Been A Fool (Thinking You Cared)
05 Wheel Of Fortune
06 Come What May
07 They Say You Cry
08 When You Surrender
09 Alone With A Memory
10 Do You Mind If I Hang Around?
11 Something From A Fool
12 Why Was I Born?
13 The Bluest Blues
14 You Never Miss The Water ('Til The Well Runs Dry)
15 Solitude
Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79865518/somebody_fool.rar.html
This is a compilation album of 15 songs which were recorded for Decca, Coral and Brunswick labels in 1950 and 1952. Includes Little Jimmy Scott's incredible first recordings, with Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra, Billy Taylor and His His Orchestra and Lucky Thompson and His Orchestra.Three tracks(No.9,10,13) were never-before released. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," recorded at his second session with Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra, gave him the first and only chart hit, placing at No. 6 on Billboard's list of R&B jukebox platters. Jimmy Scott has sung this song every so often as encore at live performaces.
"Unfortunately I just learned about 'Little' Jimmy Scott within' the last few years. Or perhaps it's better to say i've only come to appreciate him in the last few years. When I first heard him I was rather put off by the feminine quality of his voice. But as i've matured and learned to just listen without prejudice and bring much more experience and maturity to his phenomenal recordings I have to rank him as one of the great artists of our time.His voice has that quality of what I like to call irony. He can convey both pleasure and pain at the same time with a single note. Beauty and sadness. Joy and sorrow. There's a depth of understanding and conveyance that I can only equate to one other singer. Billie Holiday.The songs on this album are quite simple but they are delivered with so much feeling and clarity that they are elevated by Jimmy's performance.I have also purchased the Bravo Profiles cd which is not listed here on Amazon but contains some absolutely marvelous renditions of some rather poignant songs. My personal favorite has to be his rendition of the Unchained Melody. I have to say that I think that this may be the most beautiful rendition of ANY song that i've ever heard. The arrangements are beyond belief and I can only describe his singing by relating a story. While driving from the northeast to Florida I was playing that cd. When that song came on and Jimmy started singing it brought tears to my eyes. It was like I had never heard that song before although i've heard it performed by many other numerous times. But I have to say that I heard something in his delivery that I have never heard before. If I ever get married that's the song that i'll play for the first dance.Jimmy is probably the best artist that very few people have ever heard of and probably even fewer can really appreciate."
"Anyone familiar with Jimmy Scott since he was re-embraced by fans in the early 90s knows that he is an artist on the same caliber with the greatest talents in the history of jazz -- Bille Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman.While he is still a great talent, he may have been in even finer voice on these Lionel Hampton and other recordings. His voice truly soars here.Much of what an audience hears in Scott's performances today is a reflection of his age. His clear enunciations, his evocation of the simple yet profound lyrics of the standards he favors, his performative flair, are all achievements of a man and an artist who has tasted life and learned from it.The young Jimmy Scott is a different animal -- young, vibrant, and devil may care, his zest and passion are unmistakeable and infectious."
FALLING LOVE IS WONDERFUL (1962) (Re-issue 2003)Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )A-1, 5, B-4 / Marty Paich ( arrange )A-2-4, B-1-3, 5 / Gerald Wilson ( arrange )
There is no credit of players, but Ray Charles was on piano.
Produced by Joe Adams Supervised by Ray Charles
Recorded at United Recordings Studios, Hollywood, California in 1962
Tracklist:
01 They Say Its Wonderful
02 I Wish I Didnt Love You So
03 There Is No Greater Love
04 If I Should Lose You
05 Why Try To Change Me Now
06 Im Getting Sentiental Over You
07 Someone To Watch Over Me
08 How Deep Is The Ocean
09 I Didnt Know What Time It Was
10 Sunday Monday Or Always
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80176020/falling_.rar.html
The original 1962 recording of the remarkable singer (as featured in a PBS/Independent Lens documentary) that was produced by (and features performances by) Ray Charles.
"Finally, this great lost LP is now on CD, and everyone can hear the artistry that is Jimmy Scott. It's a tragedy that due to tangled legal issues, "Falling In Love Is Wonderful" was quickly pulled in 1963 shortly after it's initial release. ... Jimmy's career was frustrated by this, and so one of the greatest jazz vocal LPs became something of a Holy Grail for those discriminating listeners determined to find a rare copy in music stores or online. But now all the legal issues are resolved and everyone can enjoy this remarkable record on CD. To think of the lost opportunities to Scott's career could make one weep. And to listen to Scott's mesmerizing vocals could bring a tear to one's eye on classic tracks like "They Say It's Wonderful" and "Someone To Watch Over Me". I can't recommend this CD enough!"
"This album has the best back-story of all of Jimmy Scott's albums: Ray Charles plucks Scott from a downward career slide and gives him a first-class orchestral pop treatment--only to see the evil Herman Lubinsky (Savoy Records' owner) ruin the whole thing with a threatened lawsuit (the record was pulled from the racks).
(Context: In the 1950s, Jimmy Scott evidently carelessly signed all manner of contracts put before him by Lubinsky; Joel Dorn has called Lubinsky "a hemorrhoid of a human...whom even the worst record business golems of the era shunned.")
Okay, so all of that is interesting, and the album does hold up. But does it surpass his first two Warner Bros. records, or his Atlantic sessions from 1969 and 1972 (scattered over "Lost and Found" and "The Source")? In my opinion, no, it doesn't surpass those works. Scott isn't allowed to stretch out quite as fully here (most of the tracks clock in at 3:30-4:00), and the orchestral arrangements aren't quite as tasty as the sonic divans created for his subsequent pop masterpieces. This record is one of his best, make no mistake, but not the holy grail of legend, the greatest thing he ever did.
So start with the first two on Warner Bros. and the Atlantic Records stuff, and then get this record, the Savoy stuff, his recent series on Milestone, and the Decca sides. Then choose very carefully among what's left--there are a couple of sessions that aren't worth purchasing.
BTW, the liner notes hint that Ray Charles (who, to be fair, put out a lot of cash and time to make this record happen in the first place) was acting a little Lubinsky-like after Scott's ship finally came in in the early 1990s:
"Only one question remains: Why did the producer [Charles] wait so long to finally release the record? After all, when Lubinsky died in 1985, the threat of lawsuits died along with him.
"Timing is everything," says Brother Ray. "And right now, it's Jimmy Scott's time."
Ray allowed Rhino handmade a limited domestic release which carried premium price around the time that David Ritz's authorized biography came out. Now one must pay import prices to get this album. The indignities never end..."
"Ray Charles wanted to highlight Jimmy Scott's ballad ability, and he does here. What keeps this CD from being rated 5 stars is that there is not much variation in tempi. Otherwise, Scott's ability to get inside a ballad and make it his own is exemplary. The title cut, for example, is the most moving version of this song I have ever heard and I think is the strongest cut. Charles' piano complements and, in fact, comments a bit on the lyrics and there is some great byplay between the vocalist and pianist. The stereo mix is a bit extreme (The mono mix might present a more coherent image, but you might lose Charles' piano, by himself, out in the left channel).This is thoroughly enjoyable and it's great to see it re-released."
THE SOURCE (1969) (Re-issue 2001)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott( vocals )
1-8 / Junior Mance ( piano ), Eric Gale or Billy Butler ( guitar ), Ron Carter ( bass ) Bruno Carr ( drums ), David Newman( flute, tenor sax )
3 / Joe Gentle ( tenor sax )
2 / Cissy Houston ( vocal obligato )
1, 2, 4, 7, 8 / Arif Mardin ( arrange )
3, 5, 6 / William Fischer ( arrange )
1 - 8 / String orchestra under direction of Gene Orloff & Selwart Clarke
Produced by Joel Dorn
Recorded by Adrian Barber & William Arlt : March 3-5, 1969
Tracklist:
01 Exodus
02 On Broadway
03 Our Day Will Come
04 I Wish I Knew
05 Unchained Melody
06 Day by Day
07 Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
08 This Love of Mine
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80181988/the_source.rar.html
"This album was recorded in 1969 and it truly captures Scott's mastery of melody. His high tenor voice gently floats through each melody with delicate phrasing. If you know his life story, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" will send shivers down your spine. His phrasing and use of space puts his signature on each song. Thank you Jimmy Scott!"
"It is very rare: an album that contains ONLY verrrry good songs! This is certainly a deserted island must. At least for those who are touched by Jimmy Scott's voice and how he uses it masterfully as an instrument of art. This is the master of jazz ballad singing, or call it torch song if you want, but no-bo-dy interprets them like Jimmy does! The key word is INTENSITY.
Countless great artists adore him, respect him, (just check his official website), yet he seems to remain a cult figure.
Often on the edge of exaggeration, Jimmy Scott does remain credible with his passionate and powerful high singing. His exceptional (slow) phrasing accentuates each word, each syllable, each note. This man doesn't sing a song, he lives it (he does know what it is to be a "motherless child"). Pure artistry is this respect, or even better: LOVE, for rythm, melody and lyrics. The choice of songs is superb. Too many favourites to name any, although ON BROADWAY stands apart as different in tone (a groove!), yet delicious too. The opener, EXODUS, has a fascinating grandeur and something mysterious. DAY BY DAY is generally considered as one of his most exceptional and unforgettable interpretations (and I agree). But, ALL is great; in fact, this album is really TOO special a collection of masterpieces to listen to in one time; one should only listen to one song a day!
I'm not sure if this is the best album to get to know Jimmy Scott, but it is surely his most intense album, the top of his work. Keep in mind that, back in 1969, it was the first album this man could finally do all as he wanted, without any commercial rules or restrictions.
Timeless art. Breaks your heart. Feeds your soul.
The final note leaves you breathless and emotionally exhausted as if Jimmy used your own energy too... Try it!
** [For those who like it a bit more sweet and smooth, I recommend his other masterpiece, the hauntingly romantic "Falling in love is wonderful" (1962), arranged with beautiful strings, where Jimmy Scott renders a new quality to jazz crooning. Ray Charles was there and bowed his head in respect]."
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ALL THE WAY (1992)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1-9 / Kenny Barron ( piano ), Ron Carter ( bass ), Grady Tate ( drums ) John Pisano( guitar ), David "Fathead" Newman ( sax )Arranged by Dale Oehler ( 1, 2 ), Johnny Mandel ( 3, 5, 7, 9), John Clayton( 4, 6, 8 )10 / Angelo Badalamenti, Kinny Landrum ( keyboards ) Vinnie Bell ( electric & bass guitars ), Ron Carter ( acoustic bass ), Alvin Flythe, Jr. ( sax ), Ken-Ichi Shimazu ( piano ), Brian Kirk ( drums )
Produced by Tomy LiPuma
Notes:
Recorded by Al Schmitt : at Power Station; Capitol Studios 1992 (except No.10)
Tracklist:
01 All the Way
02 Embraceable You
03 Angel Eyes
04 At Last
05 Someone to Watch over Me
06 Every Time We Say Goodbye
07 I'll Be Around
08 My Foolish Heart
09 I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80169616/all_the_way_.rar.html
"The recording history of Little Jimmy Scott is peppered with long hiatuses from the recording studio. He was absent for a period of seven years from 1962 to 1969 and then for more than 15 years from 1975 to 1990. Bordering on singing in the range of a counter tenor, Scott brings a distinctive, immediately recognizable sound and sensitivity to material he sings. It is hard to find any other vocalist, other than Billie Holiday, who matches Scott's depth of emotion that he applies to the classic standards he favors. All the Way was recorded more than 40 years after Scott made his first album for Roost. Over those years, even with his long absences, he has been able to command the services of top of the line musicians. He is one of those rare vocalists that jazz musicians like to be on the stage or in the studio with. And this album is no exception, featuring an all-star lineup that includes Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and Grady Tate on rhythm. David "Fathead" Newman's soulful sax on such cuts as "All the Way" compliments Scott's delivery perfectly. Like Scott, Newman leaves abundant room between the measures to allow the song to breathe, the listeners to gain the full flavor of what he has played and to anticipate what's to follow in a second or two. On such tunes as "Angel Eyes" and "At Last," Scott's delivery goes beyond mere poignancy, and moves close to reverence, such respect he has for the classics he has put in the song list. This is good stuff. Strings magically appear on some tracks. But they are done tastefully and don't get in the way. Jimmy McDonough's knowledgeable highlights of Scott's career are a welcome added attraction."
Jimmy Scott is beyond category, an interpreter of ballads at tempos so languorous they seem practically motionless, hovering atmospherically in the air like the smoke in a barroom. All but forgotten when he recorded this album in 1992 at the age of 66, it stands as his finest achievement, the capstone of a career marked by extraordinary promise and devastating disappointment--including a legendary Ray Charles-produced album in 1962 that had to be withdrawn because of a contractual dispute. Scott's voice is uniquely androgynous and capable of marvelous subtlety; the closer you listen, the more it seems to blur (and transcend) characteristics of sex and age. That quality has made him a favorite of folks like director David Lynch, but his musicianship makes all other concerns superfluous. Here he's accompanied by first-class jazz musicians: Kenny Barron (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Grady Tate (drums), John Pisano (guitar), and David "Fathead" Newman (sax). And the songs are world-class as well: "Embraceable You," "Angel Eyes," "Every Time We Say Goodbye," and of course the title tune. But perhaps the greatest of all is "My Foolish Heart." Never was there a voice more suited sing these words: "There's a fine line between love and infatuation/That's hard to see on a night such as this." Like I said: beyond category. --Jim Emerson
"We saw Jimmy Scott at Yoshi's Dec 99 in a guest appearance with Jimmy Mcgriff and Hank Crawford. I never heard of Jimmy Scott, and to tell the truth, was slightly uncomfortable during the performance. This was not like anything I had ever heard before, and its not often that you see an artist so totally involved with the presentation - not just going through the motions or putting on a show. But I kept hearing the singing. We purchased ALL THE WAY on the way out of Yoshi's , and have listened to it often. Sinatra does a classic ALL THE WAY, and it took me a couple of listenings to fully appreciate Scott's version. Its totally unique and affecting. Get the CD and listen to it through at least 3 times ... you'll keep coming back for more."
"If you like your music with heartache, intensity, and tempos that feel like a bubblebath at 100 degrees, buy this album. I knock off one star, only because that mood is pervasive throughout; it's a "one mood" album. With that limitation, it's quite an album. Jimmy Scott has done probably the most heartfelt interpretation ever of the extremely oft-covered Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye", possibly Porter's most heartfelt song. That one sticks out in my mind as the highlight of this set, but I could say the same things about the title track. Great album for getting your "significant other" in the mood for "sack time.""
"This CD is simply AMAZING. Jimmy's voice is truly unique and his phrasing is just impeccable. As other writers have noted, Jimmy's style of singing is very slow & deliberate, as though he wants you to feel every note & breath that he takes. Every song on this cd will take you on an emotional journey, reach into your soul & when the song is over, all you will be able to say is "Wow". I have played this cd during many intimate gatherings and let me tell you, there are many new Jimmy Scott fans in Seattle. CD's may come & go, but this one continues to be in my cd player."
More review:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/jazz/2007/Jimmy_Scott_8122-77655-2.htm
DREAM (1994)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1-9 / Junior Mance ( piano ), Peyton Crossley ( drums ), Milt Jackson ( vibraphone )2 / Claston Patience Higgins ( sax )5 / Rick Zunigar( guitar ), Mitchell Froom ( organ )7 / James W. "Red" Holloway ( sax ), Rick Zunigar( guitar )
Produced by Mitchell Froom
Notes:
Recorded by Tchad Blake : at RPM Studios / Feb.14-16, 1994
Tracklist:
01 Don't Take Your Love from Me
02 It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream
03 I Cried for You
04 So Long
05 You Never Miss the Water (Till the Well Runs Dry)
06 It's the Talk of the Town
07 I'm Through With Love
08 Laughing on the Outside
09 Dream
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79860630/dream.rar.html
"One of the great late-night albums" is a phrase that could be applied very easily to any of Jimmy Scott's works. This one is simple and understated, just lovely and melancholy at the same time. He always sounds like a little boy crying, but its that vulnerability, that quavering voice that just grabs you."
"If I were going to be stranded on a desert island and could only take 2 CD's, this would be one. (The other would be Kind of Blue). This is quintessential late nite jazz. A classic. "
"Jimmy Scott's voice should be a national treasure. Its androgynous quality may confuse those who like to categorize what they're listening to. (Is it a woman? A man? An angel?) This album is torch music at its most dramatic. All the tempos are slow; the alto voice wavers until you think it will break. Instead of trying to peg his precursors or his students, just listen and appreciate Mr. Scott as one-of-a-kind."
"I have never heard a voice as good as this come from a male singer. He makes everything seem easy and calm. The only real review I can give is that he is now in the top three of my favorite singers. This is truly a great album."
DREAM (1994)Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1-9 / Junior Mance ( piano ), Peyton Crossley ( drums ), Milt Jackson ( vibraphone )2 / Claston Patience Higgins ( sax )5 / Rick Zunigar( guitar ), Mitchell Froom ( organ )7 / James W. "Red" Holloway ( sax ), Rick Zunigar( guitar )
Produced by Mitchell Froom
Notes:
Recorded by Tchad Blake : at RPM Studios / Feb.14-16, 1994
Tracklist:
01 Don't Take Your Love from Me
02 It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream
03 I Cried for You
04 So Long
05 You Never Miss the Water (Till the Well Runs Dry)
06 It's the Talk of the Town
07 I'm Through With Love
08 Laughing on the Outside
09 Dream
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79860630/dream.rar.html
"One of the great late-night albums" is a phrase that could be applied very easily to any of Jimmy Scott's works. This one is simple and understated, just lovely and melancholy at the same time. He always sounds like a little boy crying, but its that vulnerability, that quavering voice that just grabs you."
"If I were going to be stranded on a desert island and could only take 2 CD's, this would be one. (The other would be Kind of Blue). This is quintessential late nite jazz. A classic. "
"Jimmy Scott's voice should be a national treasure. Its androgynous quality may confuse those who like to categorize what they're listening to. (Is it a woman? A man? An angel?) This album is torch music at its most dramatic. All the tempos are slow; the alto voice wavers until you think it will break. Instead of trying to peg his precursors or his students, just listen and appreciate Mr. Scott as one-of-a-kind."
"I have never heard a voice as good as this come from a male singer. He makes everything seem easy and calm. The only real review I can give is that he is now in the top three of my favorite singers. This is truly a great album."
HEAVEN (1996)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals ),Jacky Terrasson ( piano, arrange ), Joseph Bonadio ( percussin ), Hilliard Greene ( bass )
Produced by Craig Street
Notes:
Recorded by Danny Kopelson : at Sear Sound March & April, 1996
Tracklist:
01 Heaven
02 All My Tears
03 Wayfarin' Stranger
04 People Get Ready
05 He Looks Beyond My Faults
06 When He Returns
07 What Are They Doing In Heaven Today
08 Just As I Am
09 There's No Disappointment In Heaven
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79885363/heaven.rar.html
"The voice is stunning, of course, and pianist Jacky Terrasson provides lovely accompaniment, but the hook for neophytes is the repertoire--"People Get Ready," "Heaven" by the Talking Heads, and Bob Dylan's "When He Returns" included." --Jeff Bateman
"If you have acquired a taste for Jimmy Scott's unusual, and brilliant, singing then this is an album you can't miss. I particularly appreciate this album for it's sincere and moving gospel material. It is an album that is both spiritual and musically sophisticated... I wish I could find more like this! The thing that catches your interest is the unusual mix of material: classic gospel tunes with material of a more recent vintage, (like a Bob Dylan tune). But the quality of the album I have ended up appreciating in the end is the sensitivity of Jacky Terrasson's arrangements and Jimmy Scott's singing. They make the material their own. They also introduced me to "All My Tears" by Julie Miller, one of the most wonderful gospel songs I've ever heard. That one track is worth the price of admission alone. A small flaw is the selection of "Heaven" by the anti-religious David Byrne (of Talking Heads). The song is performed wonderfully, but the cynical lyrics are jarring next to the rest of the material. If you enjoy this, be sure to check out Jacky Terrasson's album with Cassandra Wilson which is also excellent. Thanks Mr. Terrasson & Mr. Scott and God bless you!"
"An excellent album. Jacky Terrasson on piano presented the perfect foil to Mr. Scott's vocals. Something that you can listen to anytime of the day but especially when you're alone at home in the middle of the night. The spiritual theme might not be to everybody's liking but if you are a jazz fan, it is one album you certainly would like to have."
"Finally Jimmy Scott is getting recorded often, with musicians sensitive to his style and singing, and with the freedom to stretch out on ballads. Compare his version of Imagination recorded for Savoy back in the 50s and the one on this CD. The earlier recording was timed at less than 3 minutes while the song recorded this year took almost 7 minutes. (Some of that time is given to the instrumentalists for solos but Scott takes the song at a slower pace too.) The earlier version seemed too fast, especially for a singer like Jimmy Scott who is legendary for his phrasing, extending individual words, pronouncing every syllable and pausing for full effect. The two and three minute songs released in the 50s really do not do him justice simply because he was forced to sing faster than he normally would have sung in a nightclub date for instance. Although many of those songs are great too, I can always imagine what he would have done if free to sing as he wanted to sing. On this recording of Imagination I no longer have to imagine. The musicians on this album seem well suited to Scott's music. On three tracks he works with his own road band, the Jazz Expressions, while on most of the other tracks we hear Hank Crawford on alto sax, Cyrus Chestnut on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. Gregoire Maret adds his Toots Thielemans-like harmonica effectively to Imagination, Without A Song, How Deep Is the Ocean?, and Blue Skies. Also Joe Beck's guitar, featured on There Will Never Be Another You and one of two renditions of the title cut Mood Indigo is particularly impressive. The guitar that he uses, called an alto guitar, is tuned a fifth lower than a usual guitar and has a haunting, full, almost ringing quality on the two ballads. Jimmy Scott's vocals make the songs doubly haunting, especially on Mood Indigo. The whole CD is extremely good but check out the 2 quite different versions of Mood Indigo, Time After Time with Scott and piano accompaniment alone, Without A Song,How Deep Is The Ocean?, Imagination, and There Will Never Be Another You. Overall this is an album to be compared with the singer's recent successes, All The Way, Dream and Holding Back The Years. As Lou Reed put it: "I hope he keeps singing until there isn't another song to sing." "
HOLDING BACK THE YEARS (1998)Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )Pamela Fleming (trumpet), Bruce Kirby (sax), Matt Muniseri (guitar), Michael Kanan (piano),Hilliard Greene (bass), Victor Jones (drums), Gregorie Maret (harmonica), Charles Coleman (string arrangement),Susan Aquila, Hye Kyung Seo, Wayne Graham & David Gotay (string quartet)
Produced by Gerry McCarthy & Dale Ashley
Notes:
Recorded by Dave Kowalski at Hillside Studio and Dale Ashley at Grace Note Studios
Tracklist:
01 What I Wouldn't Give
02 The Crying Game
03 Jealous Guy
04 Holding Back The Years
05 How Can I Go On
06 Almost Blue
07 Slave To Love
08 Nothing Compares 2 U
09 Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
10 Don't Cry Baby
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/80177972/holding_.rar.html
This is an album of covers that featured almost the pop hit songs in 1970s-1990s. Jimmy Scott has sung them in his inimitable, jazz-informed style. It sounds like that those songs would be Jimmy's original ones by his unique singing, speaking behind the beat and changing the phrasings.Including Boy George's "The Crying Game", John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", Simply Red's "Holding Back The Years", Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue", Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love", Sinead O'Conner's "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince composed this song and covered it by himself), and Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word".
There's always something unearthly about hearing Jimmy Scott, the jazz ballad singer whose startlingly high voice stands in marked contrast to the deep baritones, like Billy Eckstine and Johnny Hartman, who largely defined the art. The material here may come as a surprise, too, drawing on the rock era for songs by John Lennon, Bryan Ferry, Prince, and Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, whose work has rarely, if ever, appeared in a jazz context. It's a refreshing change to hear a senior jazz singer breaking with the standard repertoire and to hear these tunes accompanied by an acoustic rhythm section, with occasional touches of strings and muted trumpet. Scott's eerily plaintive voice brings a different poignancy to the gospel-tinged "Jealous Guy" and "Nothing Compares 2 U." This may be novel, but it's also substantial. --Stuart Broomer
"I first stumbled across "Little" Jimmy Scott thanks to a friend who sent me a copy of All The Way, one of the most beautiful albums I own. I was immediately taken in by Scott's voice, a high, lonesome, silky instrument that can wring tears out of the most cold-hearted cad. I then bought the equally superb Lost & Found, a great album filled with stuff Jimmy had recorded in the early seventies which saw very limited release. Again, that album blew me away thanks to a sumptuous reading of "Unchained Melody" that made me completely forget The Righteous Borthers' version. Dream was another winner with broody production and gritty edges that suited Jimmy's voice to a tee. Heaven was a little more problematic, the songs a trifle unsure, the production a shade clinical. Holding Back The Years is a fine album of great modern-day (for the most part) covers. It's astounding to hear Jimmy emote his way through Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love" and Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" And, after the shock of hearing him sing "Jealous Guy" wears off, you listen to the album again. And again. And again. You think: "How effortless, how passionate. How sad, how beautiful." That's the power of Jimmy Scott. Aren't a fan? Never heard of him? Think of what you're missing! Gorgeous."
"Oh man!!! It's like Jimmy Scott stepped out of the wings, tapped Bryan Ferry on the shoulder and politely wrenched the microphone from his hand. I can imagine him saying something like "Take five my man, let a true veteran show you how this song is supposed to sound..."
MOOD INDIGO (2000)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1-4, 9 / Cyrus Chestnut (piano), George Mraz (bass), Grady Tate (drums)1-3, 5 / Hank Crawford (alto saxophone) 3-4, 6, 8 / Gregoire Maret (harmonica)6-8 / Michael Kanan (piano) 6, 8 / Hilliard Greene (bass), Victor Jones (drums)5, 9, 10 / Joe Beck (5,10 alto guitar / 9 guitar)
Produced by Todd Barkan
Notes:
Recorded by Katherine Miller : March 15-17, 2000 at Current Sounds, New York City
Tracklist:
01 Smile
02 Mood Indigo
03 Imagination
04 Without A Song
05 There Will Never Be Another You
06 How Deep Is The Ocean?
07 Time After Time
08 Blue Skies
09 Day By Day
10 Mood Indigo
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79882103/indigo.rar.html
Do not pass go, go directly to the Grammy awards. This is one of the most emotionally gripping, deeply satisfying vocal recitals in a month of Sundays. Jimmy Scott's roots in classic jazz and R&B give him a lifetime of experience to call upon, and now with Mood Indigo, producer Todd Barkan has placed Little Jimmy in the type of context his talent deserves. Barkan has surrounded the vocalist with a prime selection of mature modern jazzmen, self-assured in their own mastery and dedicated to the goal of creating an open, swinging canvas on which Scott can portray his genius for storytelling and emotional inflection. On "Imagination," Scott evokes a chilling sense of longing and resignation, as saxophone legend Hank Crawford and harmonica player Grégorie Maret offer spare, impeccably crafted solo ripostes, which only deepen the impact of Scott's fragile, lived-in instrument. Even more engrossing is Scott's convocation with pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Grady Tate on the title tune, one of the most harrowing readings of the standard on record. Each tune is a little gem, bejeweled with elegant details only master jazzmen can provide, as with Joe Beck's sinuous alto guitar on "Without a Song." Scott's ability to immerse listeners in the emotional subtext of a song, with nothing more than that eggshell falsetto, broad vibrato, and halting phrasing, is miraculous. He is the closest thing extant to the Billie Holiday of Lady in Satin, and that's saying a mouthful. --Chip Stern
"This is Scott's most satisfying album since "All the Way," thanks to the judicious selection of material (not a weak song in the collection) and the supporting cast. Seeing Scott perform at a Milwaukee club not long ago, I experienced visually the quality that I had sensed on his recordings. He seemed on the verge of falling off the stand at any instant, lending added drama to the performance of each song and a sense of shared triumph at its completion. The combination of risk and vulnerability is reminiscent of late Holiday and Garland, except that Jimmy manages to hang on. One caveat: He's no up-tempo singer, and with less-than-ample breath reserves and with ballads taken this slowly, there are numerous open spaces (imagine Billie's "Lady in Satin" or Shirley Horne's "Here's to Life" without strings). I hope he's paired up with an arranger such as Johnny Mandel for his next recording."
"I would never have imagined that Jimmy Scott could have bettered the performances he gave on his last album "Holding Back the Years," but he's done exactly that. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous album, but I think what may have moved Jimmy to surpass it are the very fine jazz instrumentalists that he's singing with. This is an album that you want to put on, and then lie down on the couch and really listen too. This is a very satisfying jazz performance, and considering Jimmy's age it is an even greater accomplishment. If you like Jimmy Scott, you'll surely be very pleased with "Mood Indigo," and if you're not familiar with his work this album is a very special introduction."
Credits:
Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1-4, 9 / Cyrus Chestnut (piano), George Mraz (bass), Grady Tate (drums)1-3, 5 / Hank Crawford (alto saxophone) 3-4, 6, 8 / Gregoire Maret (harmonica)6-8 / Michael Kanan (piano) 6, 8 / Hilliard Greene (bass), Victor Jones (drums)5, 9, 10 / Joe Beck (5,10 alto guitar / 9 guitar)
Produced by Todd Barkan
Notes:
Recorded by Katherine Miller : March 15-17, 2000 at Current Sounds, New York City
Tracklist:
01 Smile
02 Mood Indigo
03 Imagination
04 Without A Song
05 There Will Never Be Another You
06 How Deep Is The Ocean?
07 Time After Time
08 Blue Skies
09 Day By Day
10 Mood Indigo
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79882103/indigo.rar.html
Do not pass go, go directly to the Grammy awards. This is one of the most emotionally gripping, deeply satisfying vocal recitals in a month of Sundays. Jimmy Scott's roots in classic jazz and R&B give him a lifetime of experience to call upon, and now with Mood Indigo, producer Todd Barkan has placed Little Jimmy in the type of context his talent deserves. Barkan has surrounded the vocalist with a prime selection of mature modern jazzmen, self-assured in their own mastery and dedicated to the goal of creating an open, swinging canvas on which Scott can portray his genius for storytelling and emotional inflection. On "Imagination," Scott evokes a chilling sense of longing and resignation, as saxophone legend Hank Crawford and harmonica player Grégorie Maret offer spare, impeccably crafted solo ripostes, which only deepen the impact of Scott's fragile, lived-in instrument. Even more engrossing is Scott's convocation with pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Grady Tate on the title tune, one of the most harrowing readings of the standard on record. Each tune is a little gem, bejeweled with elegant details only master jazzmen can provide, as with Joe Beck's sinuous alto guitar on "Without a Song." Scott's ability to immerse listeners in the emotional subtext of a song, with nothing more than that eggshell falsetto, broad vibrato, and halting phrasing, is miraculous. He is the closest thing extant to the Billie Holiday of Lady in Satin, and that's saying a mouthful. --Chip Stern
"This is Scott's most satisfying album since "All the Way," thanks to the judicious selection of material (not a weak song in the collection) and the supporting cast. Seeing Scott perform at a Milwaukee club not long ago, I experienced visually the quality that I had sensed on his recordings. He seemed on the verge of falling off the stand at any instant, lending added drama to the performance of each song and a sense of shared triumph at its completion. The combination of risk and vulnerability is reminiscent of late Holiday and Garland, except that Jimmy manages to hang on. One caveat: He's no up-tempo singer, and with less-than-ample breath reserves and with ballads taken this slowly, there are numerous open spaces (imagine Billie's "Lady in Satin" or Shirley Horne's "Here's to Life" without strings). I hope he's paired up with an arranger such as Johnny Mandel for his next recording."
"I would never have imagined that Jimmy Scott could have bettered the performances he gave on his last album "Holding Back the Years," but he's done exactly that. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous album, but I think what may have moved Jimmy to surpass it are the very fine jazz instrumentalists that he's singing with. This is an album that you want to put on, and then lie down on the couch and really listen too. This is a very satisfying jazz performance, and considering Jimmy's age it is an even greater accomplishment. If you like Jimmy Scott, you'll surely be very pleased with "Mood Indigo," and if you're not familiar with his work this album is a very special introduction."
OVER THE RAINBOW (2001)
Credits:
Jimmy Scott(vo) 1,2-5,7,8,11,13 Joe Beck ( 2,8 alto guitar / 4 acoustic guitar / others guitar )1,3-5,7,9,11,13 / George Mraz ( bass ) 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 / Grady Tate ( drums )2,5,8,11,13 / Joe Locke ( vibes ) 3,9,10,12 / Michael Kanan ( piano )1,4,6 / Larry Willis ( piano ) 6,9,11 / Gregoire Maret ( harmonica )1,7 / Bob Kindred ( tenor saxophone ) 3 / Justin Robinson ( alto saxophone )4 / David "Fathead" Newman ( tenor saxophone ) 4 / Clarence Penn ( drums )
Arranged by Joe Beck ( 1,2,5,7,8,11 ), Jimmy Scott ( 1,3,9 ) , Michael Kanan ( 3 ) , Robert Sadin ( 4 ) , Larry Willis ( 6 )
Produced by Todd Barkan
Notes:
Recorded by Katherine Miller : October and November, 2000 at The Studio, New York City
Tracklist:
01 Pennies From Heaven
02 Over The Rainbow
03 All Or Nothing At All
04 Strange Fruit
05 Don't Take Your Love From Me
06 Just Friends
07 P.S. I Love You
08 Everybody's Somebody's Fool
09 If You Only Knew
10 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
11 I'll Close My Eyes
12 When Did You Leave Heaven?
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79877409/rainbow.rar.html
What remains of singer Jimmy Scott's voice after more than four decades plying the jazz waters is profound, what with its broken eggshell timbre, keening falsetto, and lived-in vibrato. That combination of elements brings the listener back again and again to Over the Rainbow, where the depth of emotion that Scott conveys is boundless. On his epic rendition of the title song, against the tolling, celestial airs of Joe Beck's alto guitar and Joe Locke's vibes, Scott sounds the longing of dreams deferred, and one is left with a deep feeling for the singer's grace. Since teaming up with producer Todd Barkan, Scott has upped the ante for every contemporary jazz singer, proving conclusively that it ain't the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. Scott's vocal stylings are the closest thing extant to the high drama of late Billie Holiday, circa Lady in Satin, and that point's relevant here with his reading of "Strange Fruit." Against the fattening thunder of George Mraz's bass and Clarence Penn's drums, the Coletrane-ish lament of David "Fathead" Newman's tenor and Larry Willis's piano, plus the taut bluesy cries of Beck's guitar, Scott redefines Lady Day's masterpiece with the stunned wonder of someone entirely new to the art of song and the vagaries of racism. Throughout the album, spirited, deeply felt jazz accompaniments win the day beside Scott's inimitable voice. All is not heaviness, though. The opening "Pennies from Heaven" swings in a graceful, bluesy manner, while "P.S. I Love You" and "I'll Close My Eyes" are gently ingratiating, tender ballads, all after-hours smoke and nostalgia. Jimmy Scott is the real deal. --Chip Stern
"This new album from Jimmy Scott is one of the finest he has produced since resuming his recording career in 1990. The musicianship and production is superb, Dave Newman's sax and Michael Kanan's piano work being highlights for me. Every song carries Jimmy's originality and unique interpretetive skills, but it is the honesty and emotion that are most affecting. Jimmy's recording of "Strange Fruit" is a worthy sucsessor to those of Billie Holliday and Nina Simone, and in Jimmy's hands, the song's power is amplified so that it is shocking, emotionally brutal, yet simultaneously sad and so beautiful. "Pennies from Heaven" has long featured in Mr Scott's live set, and this version is excellent, and his take on "Just Friends" is extremely moving. I found "I got it bad and that aint good" to be perhaps the most emotive track. How anyone can produce as much longing as Mr Scott when he sings "She doesnt love me like I love her, nobody could...." is just beyond me. A fantastic album, true to jazz and to Jimmy's style, and radiating with the quiet confidence of an artist who is, at last, receiving the wide scale admiration he so richly deserves."
"Mr. Jimmy Scott in his latest recording, "Over the Rainbow" has completed a superb vocal piece of work. His voice is creative, strong, smooth, and in control throughout the entire CD. For me, Scott's rendition of "All or Nothing at All" is spectacular! He delivers the jazz standard at an unmatched level. Just listen to it and flow along with the melodic journey that Scott & the musicians take you on. However, I must make mention of two other songs. The first is the title song "Over the Rainbow" (a classic by Judy Garland) and secondly, "Don't Take Your Love from Me." Each song has a different approach and definitely sets a patient tone. In particular I'm struck by the performances of George Mraz (bass) and Grady Tate (drums) and the arrangements by Joe Beck. Finally, Scott at 75 years of age is self-possessed and a lyrical genius. This CD is graceful and exhibits a bold and new approach to jazz artistry. Yes, simply put it is "SWEET." Jimmy Scott has endured the test of time and has distinctly established a fresh benchmark for others to measure their work. Unquestionably, this CD places him in a long awaited standing equal to his peers." 
BUT BEAUTIFUL (2002)
Credits:
Renee Rosnes-piano, Joe Beck-guitar (tracks 01,03,05,06,08), George Mraz-bass, Lewis Nash-drums, Wynton Marsalis-trumpet (track 02), Lew Soloff-(trumpet (track 08), Eric Alexander-tenor sax (tracks 03,05,06), Bob Kindred-tenor sax (tracks 04,09), Robert Sadin, Dwayne Broadnax-drums (track 09)
Special Guest : Freddy Cole-vocals in track 07
Tracklist:
01 You Don't Know What Love Is
02 Darn That Dream
03 It Had To Be You
04 This Bitter Earth
05 Please Send Me Someone To Love
06 But Beautiful
07 When You Wish Upon A Star
08 Bye Bye Blackbird
09 I'll Be Seeing You
10 Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79398606/jc--beautiful.rar.html
"On But Beautiful, whether through choice or necessity, Jimmy Scott uses his trademark vibrato sparingly. This is a good thing, since age has widened its pitch to a dangerous degree. Instead, his still distinctive voice floats over tried and true standards like "You Don't Know What Love Is," "Darn That Dream," and the title tune. What makes it all work are the singer's unshakable soul and his impeccable time. With each truncated syllable, you feel all the feelings accrued in his 76 years. Renee Rosnes's playing and arranging create the perfect modern--but not postmodern--accompaniment, allowing the singer to pause, confident that the space he leaves will be well filled but not cluttered. And as for time, Scott says it best: "The genius of jazz is how it frees time so we can forget time. Jazz lets us enjoy time." Scott's sense of time provides a master class for budding jazz singers everywhere, and enjoyment for everyone." --Michael Ross
"I just pointed and clicked on this one...and ended up with a peaceful, soulful, melifluous, wonder in Jimmy Scott. His voice transcends times and trends. I've never heard him before but his masterful blending of blues and contemporary music just stunned me and left me with my mouth hanging open. His light voice was a surprise too--very easy on the ears any time of day."
"Take my hand precious Lord gave me chill bumps,it really moved me.I used to listen to good quality music like this with my parents when I was a child."
"Few artists feel music like Jimmy Scott. A very unique and compelling sound. Heartfelt. Worth every penny. Purchase his album "All the Way" as well. Really good"
MOONGLOW (2003)
Credits:
1-10 / Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1 / Eric Alexander ( tenor saxophone ) 2 / David "Fathead" Newman ( tenor saxophone )5 / Hank Crawford ( alto saxophone ) 7 / Bob Kindred ( tenor saxophone )2,3,9 / Larry Willis ( piano ) 4,5,8 / Cyrus Chestnut ( piano )6 / Renee Rosnes ( piano ) 7,10 / Michael Kanan ( piano )1,2,5,6 / Joe Beck ( guitar ) 6 / Lew Soloff ( trumpet )1,2,4-6,8 / George Mraz ( bass ) 10 / Hilliard Greene ( bass )2 / Clarence Penn ( drums ) 4,5,8 / Grady Tate ( drums )6 / Lewis Nash ( drums ) 10 / Victor Jones ( drums )2 / Joe Locke ( vibraphone ) 9,10 / Gregoire Maret ( harmonica )
Produced by Todd Barkan
Notes:
Recorded by Katherine Miller : at The Studio, New York CityMarch and November 2000, and August 2001
Tracklist:
01 Moonglow
02 Since I Fell For You
03 Those Who Were
04 Yesterday
05 How Long Has This Been Going On ?
06 I Thought About You
07 Time On My Hands (You In My Arms)
08 If I Should Lose You
09 Solitude
10 We'll be Together Again
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79868387/moon_glow.rar.html
"No matter how you define it, a real “jazz singer” is exactly what Jimmy Scott is. His phrasing and delivery are simply impeccable, and – though at age 78 his voice may be a bit rough around the edges – he sings straight from the heart. Scott's newest release offers up ten ballads sung in his typical unpredictable and captivating style. This is prime Scott luring the listener into each song with his subtle nuances and revealing hidden meanings behind every lyric, communicating the longing, the sadness, and the pain of lost love better than any singer on the scene today. You get the feeling he has lived every word of what he sings. As his recent biography Faith in Time reveals, he has been through it all, and survived. Scott is the real McCoy.
All the arrangements have a loose, uncluttered feel that allows us to focus on the leader. And while all the arrangements on this album employ small group accompaniment (no more than six musicians), with Jimmy Scott, less is better. The most compelling number is the Scott duo with pianist Larry Willis entitled "Those Who Were," written by bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen with lyrics by Liza Freeman. Alongside bassist George Mraz, the supporting musicians vary from track to track and include some of the best – saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman, Eric Alexander, Hank Crawford, and Bob Kindred; pianists Cyrus Chestnut and Renee Rosnes; and drummers Grady Tate and Lewis Nash.
This album lives up to the high standard of Scott's previous three Milestones, and perhaps even surpasses them without a weak moment. Listeners can choose amongst their favorite standards from the ten tracks: "Time on My Hands," "Solitude," "Since I Fell for You," Lennon and McCartney's "Yesterday," and the title track.
Here we have a singer who started singing professionally in the '40s, was embraced in the '50s, then nearly forgotten for decades, and is now finally receiving renewed acceptance. It's amazing what integrity can accomplish!"
(http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11865)
ALL OF ME - LIVE (2004)
Credits:
2-8,10,12 / Jimmy Scott( vocals )2-8,10,12 / Jon Regen ( piano ),Hilliard "Hill" Greene ( bass )Dwayne "Cook" Broadnax ( drums )T.K. Blue ( alto saxophone, flute )
Produced by Tetsuo Hara
Notes:
Recorded on July 27, 2003 at the jazz club "B flat", Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan
Tracklist:
01 Straight No Chaser (instrumental)
02 All Of Me
03 You Don't Know What Love Is
04 I'll Close My Eyes
05 Pennies From Heaven
06 Time After Time
07 Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
08 I Cried For You
09 Encore
10 Why Was I Born?
11 Encore 2.
12 Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79850045/all_of_me_a.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/79859752/all_of_me_b.rar.html
These are the live recordings and the SACD & CD, by Hyper Magnum Sound and 24 bit Mastering, include 9 songs from the second set and encores. Very excellent live show it was.
"After seeing Jimmy Smith perform "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" at Antony and the Johnson's show at Carnegie Hall, I started shopping around for his best recorded version.
This is by far one of the best album's he's got out right now, and nearer in sound to his live performance than anything else I could find.
Sad, slow, and down-tempo, I can't get enough. And even though the arrangement of "Sometimes..." doesn't have the deep, funeral dirge sound of his Carnegie performance, it's still an awesome arrangement."
Biography:
Jimmy Scott (July 17, 1925 in Cleveland) is an American jazz vocalist.Scott has Kallmann's syndrome, a genetic condition which stunted his growth at five feet and prevented him reaching puberty, leaving him with a high, undeveloped soprano voice, hence his nickname "Little" Jimmy Scott.However, it was his extraordinary phrasing and romantic feeling that made him a favorite singer of fellow artists like Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson.Scott was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Authur and Justine Stanard Scott, third in a family of ten. As a child he got his first singing experience by his mother's side at the family piano, and later, in church choir. His father was absent most of the time as he was taken with drink, gambling, and other women. Ji
mmy worshipped his mother, and whatever money he could make doing odd-jobs, went to her to help the family. At thirteen, he was orphaned when his mother was killed by a drunk driver. Witnesses say that she pushed one of Jimmy's siblings out of the way of the car, but in the process of saving her child's life, she lost her own.Scott first rose to national prominence as "Little Jimmy Scott" in the Lionel Hampton Band when he sang lead on the late 1940s hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool". Credit on the label, however, went to 'male vocalist', a slight to his talent and a blow to his career. A blow which would reoccur several years later, when his vocal on "Embraceable You" with Charlie Parker on the album, "One Night in Birdland" was credited to female vocalist, Chubby Newsome.In 1963, it looked as though Scott's luck had changed for the good. Signed to Ray Charles's Tangerine label, he recorded under the supervision of the great man himself, one of the great jazz vocal albums of all time, "Falling in Love is Wonderful". The record was yanked from the shelves in a matter of days while Jimmy was honeymooning due to a contract he had signed earlier with Herman Lubinsky.Scott's career faded by the late 1960s and he returned to his native Cleveland to work in a hospital and as an elevator operator in a hotel.He resurfaced in 1991 when he sang at the funeral of his long-time friend Doc Pomus. Afterwards Lou Reed recruited him to sing back-up on the track "Power and Glory" on his 1992 album Magic and Loss, partially inspired by Pomus' death. Afterwards, Scott was seen on the series finale of David
Lynch's show Twin Peaks, singing "Sycamore Trees." He was featured on the soundtrack of the follow-up film Fire Walk With Me. This brought him to the attention of the music industry and he has enjoyed significant success since then, singing and recording.His comeback took off in earnest with the 1992 release of the album "All The Way" on Sire Records, produced by Tommy Lipuma and featuring artists such as Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and David "Fathead" Newman. Jimmy Scott was nominated for a grammy for this album. He followed this up with the album "Dream" in 1994, and the jazz-gospel album "Heaven" in 1996. He also recorded an album of mostly pop and rock covers, "Holding Back the Years" in 1998. In 1999, his early recordings on the Decca label were re-released on CD, as were all of his recordings with the Savoy Label between 1952 and 1975 in a 3 disc Box Set. In 2000, Jimmy Scott was signed to the Milestone jazz label, and recorded four critically acclaimed albums, each produced by Todd Barkan, and featuring a variety of jazz artists, including as Wynton Marsalis, Renee Rosnes, Bob Kindred, Eric Alexander, Lew Soloff, George Mraz, Lewis Nash, and many more, as well as Jimmy's own touring and recording band "The Jazz Expressions". He also released two live albums, both recorded in Japan, and featuring the Jazz Expressions.Jimmy Scott's career has spanned nearly sixty years, and in that time he has performed with a list of artists that read like a history of jazz music in that time, including Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughn, Lester Young, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, and Peter Cincotti. He has also performed with a host of musicians from other genres of music, such as David Byrne, Lou Reed, Flea, Michael Stipe, and Anthony & The Johnsons.Most recently he has appeared in live performances with Pink Martini, and continues to perform to audiences internationally at music festivals and at his own concerts.Mr Scott lives in New Jersey, with his wife Jeannie.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Scott)
The world is finally catching up to Jimmy Scott. After more than five decades of being admired by fellow vocalists and a select claque of hipsters, the man whom Joseph Hooper, in a New York Times Magazine profile, called "perhaps the most unjustly ignored American singer of the 20th century" is finding a dedicated international audience for his unique, emotionally penetrating art. And the 75-year-old singer is presently working on his autobiography with David Ritz, the award-winning author noted for previous collaborations with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Etta James, B.B. King, and Smokey Robinson; Faith in Time: The Jazz Life of Jimmy Scott is scheduled for fall 2002 publication by Da Capo Press.The life story of Jimmy Scott is filled with heartbreak and hope, qualities he expresses most directly in his gripping, highly personalized readings of material from the Great American Songbook. Over the Rainbow, the singer's second CD for Milestone Records, follows the pattern of last year's acclaimed Mood Indigo: producer Todd Barkan surrounds him with world-class jazz instrumentalists, including guitarist Joe Beck, bassist George Mraz, drummer Grady Tate, vibraharpist Joe Locke, and saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, in a set of songs that Scott has known- and in most cases performed-throughout his life.Scott was 14 when he first heard Judy Garland sing "Over the Rainbow" in The Wizard of Oz. His mother had recently been killed in a traffic accident, and he and his brothers and sisters were sent off to different foster homes. The song, he says, "spoke to my soul." It "became a symbol of hope, an escape from misery, the promise of lasting love." "Pennies from Heaven" carries a similar meaning. "Just keep trying to make it some way," he explains. "Pennies will be t
here for you."The freedom with which Scott's voice floats so effortlessly over rhythm sections has been likened to that of the legendary tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Scott recalls that "Don't Take Your Love from Me," which he performs on Over the Rainbow, was one of two tunes he sang the first time he sat in with Young, during the mid-1940s at a club in Meadville, Pennsylvania."Billie Holiday loved him, and I could dig why," Scott says of Young. "Listening to him helped me so much in the expression of singing. It was such a comfortable thing to have him play between your vocal lines and to have solos played by him."Holiday, when once asked by a reporter which singers she liked, named only Scott. He returns the compliment by applying his distinctive style to one of her signature songs, "Strange Fruit," poet Lewis Allan's haunting tale of a lynching. Scott also reprises a couple of his own signature songs on Over the Rainbow: "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," the ballad that first brought him fame in 1950 as featured vocalist with the Lionel Hampton big band, and "When Did You Leave Heaven?," the old Bing Crosby favorite that Scott made all his own with a 1955 single that became something of a jukebox hit.Scott's unique way with songs, which cuts to the emotional core of lyrics with its subtly delayed timing, carefully clipped syllables, and ringing sustains, has inspired numerous other singers for half a century. Nancy Wilson and Frankie Valli borrowed elements of Scott's style in the Sixties, while Lou Reed and Madonna have championed his singing in recent times. "He is without a doubt the master of the ballad form," Wilson once stated. Ray Charles, another Scott fan, has said that "he defined what 'soul' is all about in singing long before anyone was using the word."James Victor Scott was born on July 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, where he still lives. He was one of ten siblings, all of whom sang in church to their mother's piano accompaniment. Like one of his brothers, he never experienced puberty, the result of Kallmann's Syndrome, a hereditary hormonal deficiency that stunted his growth and kept his voice from developing beyond boyhood. "I fought through it," Scott says of the condition. "It didn't matter. I was accepted into show business back in the early Forties. That helped a lot, and it never bothered me like it might some others."The singer's big break came in 1949, when Lionel Hampton hired him on the recommendation of Paul Gayten and billed him as "Little Jimmy Scott." "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," recorded at Scott's second session with Hampton, gave the singer his first and only chart hit, placing at No. 6 on Billboard's list of R&B jukebox platters. The labels of some Decca 78s mistakenly credited Irma Curry, Hampton's female vocalist at the time, but many fans knew better, especially women, who swooned at Scott's every deliciously split syllable during his year on the road with Hampton.Scott's hit and three other songs recorded with the Hampton orchestra, along with early Fifties solo sides for the Coral and Brunswick labels, were reissued in 1999 on the GRP CD Everybody's Somebody's Fool. Also released that year was the three-CD The Savoy Years and More containing his 1952 recordings for Roost Records and his 1955-75 output for Savoy. Scott also made a magnificent album for Ray Charles's Tangerine label and another for Atlantic, but Savoy threatened suit and had both suppressed.The singer spent long periods away from the microphone. He worked for a time as a hotel shipping clerk and as a caretaker for his ailing father. Scott returned to performing in 1990, and his career took off again two years later when Seymour Stein heard him singing at songwriter Doc Pomus's funeral and signed him to the Warner Bros.-distributed Sire label. Scott recorded two albums for Sire, one for Warner Bros. proper, and one for Artists Only! before joining Milestone Records last year.The past couple of years have seen Scott making triumphant tours of Europe and Japan, as well as being the subject of a Bravo Profiles television special in which he was saluted by such admirers as Alec Baldwin, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, David Lynch, Joe Pesci, Lou Reed, and Frankie Valli. And Scott has become a fashion model in an Italian advertising campaign for a new line of cashmere sweaters by celebrated Milan designer Saverio Palatella.The wisdom that Jimmy Scott has acquired during his often-difficult life oozes from every track of Over the Rainbow. As David Ritz observes so eloquently in his booklet notes for the Milestone CD: "In the fragility of his voice, there is enormous strength. His songs say that we can live with our inconsistencies; we can be fools but still survive; we can still hope for those pennies from heaven. We look to him for lessons in how to live our lives with patience, dignity, and a sense of wondrous beauty."
Lou Reed on Jimmy Scott:
"I first met Jimmy Scott through the remarkable songwriter Doc Pomus. I'd heard about him for many years. At the gathering after Doc's passing Jimmy sang. He has the voice of an angel and can break your heart. He did that day and many others.I've heard and even sung with Jimmy many times since then. Here is the singer's singer if labels mean any thing. Listening to Jimmy is like having a performing heart. The experience of life and the art of expression sing through Jimmy and make us partners in his incredible passion. I love him and I never want to say goodbye. When the song stops with Jimmy's last note we're back in the world as it was. Not quite so pretty, not quite so passionate. And we can only wait for Jimmy to sing again and take us that little bit higher."
http://www.yardbirdsuite.com/Performers/@Other/FilmFestival.htm
http://www.wcpn.org/spotlight/jazz/1299-db-scott.html
http://home.nestor.minsk.by/jazz/articles/2006/11/0095.html
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2005/10/jimmy_scott_w_a_1.html
Credits:
Jimmy Scott(vo) 1,2-5,7,8,11,13 Joe Beck ( 2,8 alto guitar / 4 acoustic guitar / others guitar )1,3-5,7,9,11,13 / George Mraz ( bass ) 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 / Grady Tate ( drums )2,5,8,11,13 / Joe Locke ( vibes ) 3,9,10,12 / Michael Kanan ( piano )1,4,6 / Larry Willis ( piano ) 6,9,11 / Gregoire Maret ( harmonica )1,7 / Bob Kindred ( tenor saxophone ) 3 / Justin Robinson ( alto saxophone )4 / David "Fathead" Newman ( tenor saxophone ) 4 / Clarence Penn ( drums )
Arranged by Joe Beck ( 1,2,5,7,8,11 ), Jimmy Scott ( 1,3,9 ) , Michael Kanan ( 3 ) , Robert Sadin ( 4 ) , Larry Willis ( 6 )
Produced by Todd Barkan
Notes:
Recorded by Katherine Miller : October and November, 2000 at The Studio, New York City
Tracklist:
01 Pennies From Heaven
02 Over The Rainbow
03 All Or Nothing At All
04 Strange Fruit
05 Don't Take Your Love From Me
06 Just Friends
07 P.S. I Love You
08 Everybody's Somebody's Fool
09 If You Only Knew
10 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
11 I'll Close My Eyes
12 When Did You Leave Heaven?
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79877409/rainbow.rar.html
What remains of singer Jimmy Scott's voice after more than four decades plying the jazz waters is profound, what with its broken eggshell timbre, keening falsetto, and lived-in vibrato. That combination of elements brings the listener back again and again to Over the Rainbow, where the depth of emotion that Scott conveys is boundless. On his epic rendition of the title song, against the tolling, celestial airs of Joe Beck's alto guitar and Joe Locke's vibes, Scott sounds the longing of dreams deferred, and one is left with a deep feeling for the singer's grace. Since teaming up with producer Todd Barkan, Scott has upped the ante for every contemporary jazz singer, proving conclusively that it ain't the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. Scott's vocal stylings are the closest thing extant to the high drama of late Billie Holiday, circa Lady in Satin, and that point's relevant here with his reading of "Strange Fruit." Against the fattening thunder of George Mraz's bass and Clarence Penn's drums, the Coletrane-ish lament of David "Fathead" Newman's tenor and Larry Willis's piano, plus the taut bluesy cries of Beck's guitar, Scott redefines Lady Day's masterpiece with the stunned wonder of someone entirely new to the art of song and the vagaries of racism. Throughout the album, spirited, deeply felt jazz accompaniments win the day beside Scott's inimitable voice. All is not heaviness, though. The opening "Pennies from Heaven" swings in a graceful, bluesy manner, while "P.S. I Love You" and "I'll Close My Eyes" are gently ingratiating, tender ballads, all after-hours smoke and nostalgia. Jimmy Scott is the real deal. --Chip Stern
"This new album from Jimmy Scott is one of the finest he has produced since resuming his recording career in 1990. The musicianship and production is superb, Dave Newman's sax and Michael Kanan's piano work being highlights for me. Every song carries Jimmy's originality and unique interpretetive skills, but it is the honesty and emotion that are most affecting. Jimmy's recording of "Strange Fruit" is a worthy sucsessor to those of Billie Holliday and Nina Simone, and in Jimmy's hands, the song's power is amplified so that it is shocking, emotionally brutal, yet simultaneously sad and so beautiful. "Pennies from Heaven" has long featured in Mr Scott's live set, and this version is excellent, and his take on "Just Friends" is extremely moving. I found "I got it bad and that aint good" to be perhaps the most emotive track. How anyone can produce as much longing as Mr Scott when he sings "She doesnt love me like I love her, nobody could...." is just beyond me. A fantastic album, true to jazz and to Jimmy's style, and radiating with the quiet confidence of an artist who is, at last, receiving the wide scale admiration he so richly deserves."
"Mr. Jimmy Scott in his latest recording, "Over the Rainbow" has completed a superb vocal piece of work. His voice is creative, strong, smooth, and in control throughout the entire CD. For me, Scott's rendition of "All or Nothing at All" is spectacular! He delivers the jazz standard at an unmatched level. Just listen to it and flow along with the melodic journey that Scott & the musicians take you on. However, I must make mention of two other songs. The first is the title song "Over the Rainbow" (a classic by Judy Garland) and secondly, "Don't Take Your Love from Me." Each song has a different approach and definitely sets a patient tone. In particular I'm struck by the performances of George Mraz (bass) and Grady Tate (drums) and the arrangements by Joe Beck. Finally, Scott at 75 years of age is self-possessed and a lyrical genius. This CD is graceful and exhibits a bold and new approach to jazz artistry. Yes, simply put it is "SWEET." Jimmy Scott has endured the test of time and has distinctly established a fresh benchmark for others to measure their work. Unquestionably, this CD places him in a long awaited standing equal to his peers."
BUT BEAUTIFUL (2002)
Credits:
Renee Rosnes-piano, Joe Beck-guitar (tracks 01,03,05,06,08), George Mraz-bass, Lewis Nash-drums, Wynton Marsalis-trumpet (track 02), Lew Soloff-(trumpet (track 08), Eric Alexander-tenor sax (tracks 03,05,06), Bob Kindred-tenor sax (tracks 04,09), Robert Sadin, Dwayne Broadnax-drums (track 09)
Special Guest : Freddy Cole-vocals in track 07
Tracklist:
01 You Don't Know What Love Is
02 Darn That Dream
03 It Had To Be You
04 This Bitter Earth
05 Please Send Me Someone To Love
06 But Beautiful
07 When You Wish Upon A Star
08 Bye Bye Blackbird
09 I'll Be Seeing You
10 Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79398606/jc--beautiful.rar.html
"On But Beautiful, whether through choice or necessity, Jimmy Scott uses his trademark vibrato sparingly. This is a good thing, since age has widened its pitch to a dangerous degree. Instead, his still distinctive voice floats over tried and true standards like "You Don't Know What Love Is," "Darn That Dream," and the title tune. What makes it all work are the singer's unshakable soul and his impeccable time. With each truncated syllable, you feel all the feelings accrued in his 76 years. Renee Rosnes's playing and arranging create the perfect modern--but not postmodern--accompaniment, allowing the singer to pause, confident that the space he leaves will be well filled but not cluttered. And as for time, Scott says it best: "The genius of jazz is how it frees time so we can forget time. Jazz lets us enjoy time." Scott's sense of time provides a master class for budding jazz singers everywhere, and enjoyment for everyone." --Michael Ross
"I just pointed and clicked on this one...and ended up with a peaceful, soulful, melifluous, wonder in Jimmy Scott. His voice transcends times and trends. I've never heard him before but his masterful blending of blues and contemporary music just stunned me and left me with my mouth hanging open. His light voice was a surprise too--very easy on the ears any time of day."
"Take my hand precious Lord gave me chill bumps,it really moved me.I used to listen to good quality music like this with my parents when I was a child."
"Few artists feel music like Jimmy Scott. A very unique and compelling sound. Heartfelt. Worth every penny. Purchase his album "All the Way" as well. Really good"
MOONGLOW (2003)Credits:
1-10 / Jimmy Scott ( vocals )1 / Eric Alexander ( tenor saxophone ) 2 / David "Fathead" Newman ( tenor saxophone )5 / Hank Crawford ( alto saxophone ) 7 / Bob Kindred ( tenor saxophone )2,3,9 / Larry Willis ( piano ) 4,5,8 / Cyrus Chestnut ( piano )6 / Renee Rosnes ( piano ) 7,10 / Michael Kanan ( piano )1,2,5,6 / Joe Beck ( guitar ) 6 / Lew Soloff ( trumpet )1,2,4-6,8 / George Mraz ( bass ) 10 / Hilliard Greene ( bass )2 / Clarence Penn ( drums ) 4,5,8 / Grady Tate ( drums )6 / Lewis Nash ( drums ) 10 / Victor Jones ( drums )2 / Joe Locke ( vibraphone ) 9,10 / Gregoire Maret ( harmonica )
Produced by Todd Barkan
Notes:
Recorded by Katherine Miller : at The Studio, New York CityMarch and November 2000, and August 2001
Tracklist:
01 Moonglow
02 Since I Fell For You
03 Those Who Were
04 Yesterday
05 How Long Has This Been Going On ?
06 I Thought About You
07 Time On My Hands (You In My Arms)
08 If I Should Lose You
09 Solitude
10 We'll be Together Again
Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79868387/moon_glow.rar.html
"No matter how you define it, a real “jazz singer” is exactly what Jimmy Scott is. His phrasing and delivery are simply impeccable, and – though at age 78 his voice may be a bit rough around the edges – he sings straight from the heart. Scott's newest release offers up ten ballads sung in his typical unpredictable and captivating style. This is prime Scott luring the listener into each song with his subtle nuances and revealing hidden meanings behind every lyric, communicating the longing, the sadness, and the pain of lost love better than any singer on the scene today. You get the feeling he has lived every word of what he sings. As his recent biography Faith in Time reveals, he has been through it all, and survived. Scott is the real McCoy.
All the arrangements have a loose, uncluttered feel that allows us to focus on the leader. And while all the arrangements on this album employ small group accompaniment (no more than six musicians), with Jimmy Scott, less is better. The most compelling number is the Scott duo with pianist Larry Willis entitled "Those Who Were," written by bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen with lyrics by Liza Freeman. Alongside bassist George Mraz, the supporting musicians vary from track to track and include some of the best – saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman, Eric Alexander, Hank Crawford, and Bob Kindred; pianists Cyrus Chestnut and Renee Rosnes; and drummers Grady Tate and Lewis Nash.
This album lives up to the high standard of Scott's previous three Milestones, and perhaps even surpasses them without a weak moment. Listeners can choose amongst their favorite standards from the ten tracks: "Time on My Hands," "Solitude," "Since I Fell for You," Lennon and McCartney's "Yesterday," and the title track.
Here we have a singer who started singing professionally in the '40s, was embraced in the '50s, then nearly forgotten for decades, and is now finally receiving renewed acceptance. It's amazing what integrity can accomplish!"
(http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11865)
ALL OF ME - LIVE (2004)
Credits:
2-8,10,12 / Jimmy Scott( vocals )2-8,10,12 / Jon Regen ( piano ),Hilliard "Hill" Greene ( bass )Dwayne "Cook" Broadnax ( drums )T.K. Blue ( alto saxophone, flute )
Produced by Tetsuo Hara
Notes:
Recorded on July 27, 2003 at the jazz club "B flat", Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan
Tracklist:
01 Straight No Chaser (instrumental)
02 All Of Me
03 You Don't Know What Love Is
04 I'll Close My Eyes
05 Pennies From Heaven
06 Time After Time
07 Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
08 I Cried For You
09 Encore
10 Why Was I Born?
11 Encore 2.
12 Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79850045/all_of_me_a.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/79859752/all_of_me_b.rar.html
These are the live recordings and the SACD & CD, by Hyper Magnum Sound and 24 bit Mastering, include 9 songs from the second set and encores. Very excellent live show it was.
"After seeing Jimmy Smith perform "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" at Antony and the Johnson's show at Carnegie Hall, I started shopping around for his best recorded version.
This is by far one of the best album's he's got out right now, and nearer in sound to his live performance than anything else I could find.
Sad, slow, and down-tempo, I can't get enough. And even though the arrangement of "Sometimes..." doesn't have the deep, funeral dirge sound of his Carnegie performance, it's still an awesome arrangement."
Biography:
Jimmy Scott (July 17, 1925 in Cleveland) is an American jazz vocalist.Scott has Kallmann's syndrome, a genetic condition which stunted his growth at five feet and prevented him reaching puberty, leaving him with a high, undeveloped soprano voice, hence his nickname "Little" Jimmy Scott.However, it was his extraordinary phrasing and romantic feeling that made him a favorite singer of fellow artists like Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson.Scott was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Authur and Justine Stanard Scott, third in a family of ten. As a child he got his first singing experience by his mother's side at the family piano, and later, in church choir. His father was absent most of the time as he was taken with drink, gambling, and other women. Ji
mmy worshipped his mother, and whatever money he could make doing odd-jobs, went to her to help the family. At thirteen, he was orphaned when his mother was killed by a drunk driver. Witnesses say that she pushed one of Jimmy's siblings out of the way of the car, but in the process of saving her child's life, she lost her own.Scott first rose to national prominence as "Little Jimmy Scott" in the Lionel Hampton Band when he sang lead on the late 1940s hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool". Credit on the label, however, went to 'male vocalist', a slight to his talent and a blow to his career. A blow which would reoccur several years later, when his vocal on "Embraceable You" with Charlie Parker on the album, "One Night in Birdland" was credited to female vocalist, Chubby Newsome.In 1963, it looked as though Scott's luck had changed for the good. Signed to Ray Charles's Tangerine label, he recorded under the supervision of the great man himself, one of the great jazz vocal albums of all time, "Falling in Love is Wonderful". The record was yanked from the shelves in a matter of days while Jimmy was honeymooning due to a contract he had signed earlier with Herman Lubinsky.Scott's career faded by the late 1960s and he returned to his native Cleveland to work in a hospital and as an elevator operator in a hotel.He resurfaced in 1991 when he sang at the funeral of his long-time friend Doc Pomus. Afterwards Lou Reed recruited him to sing back-up on the track "Power and Glory" on his 1992 album Magic and Loss, partially inspired by Pomus' death. Afterwards, Scott was seen on the series finale of David
Lynch's show Twin Peaks, singing "Sycamore Trees." He was featured on the soundtrack of the follow-up film Fire Walk With Me. This brought him to the attention of the music industry and he has enjoyed significant success since then, singing and recording.His comeback took off in earnest with the 1992 release of the album "All The Way" on Sire Records, produced by Tommy Lipuma and featuring artists such as Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and David "Fathead" Newman. Jimmy Scott was nominated for a grammy for this album. He followed this up with the album "Dream" in 1994, and the jazz-gospel album "Heaven" in 1996. He also recorded an album of mostly pop and rock covers, "Holding Back the Years" in 1998. In 1999, his early recordings on the Decca label were re-released on CD, as were all of his recordings with the Savoy Label between 1952 and 1975 in a 3 disc Box Set. In 2000, Jimmy Scott was signed to the Milestone jazz label, and recorded four critically acclaimed albums, each produced by Todd Barkan, and featuring a variety of jazz artists, including as Wynton Marsalis, Renee Rosnes, Bob Kindred, Eric Alexander, Lew Soloff, George Mraz, Lewis Nash, and many more, as well as Jimmy's own touring and recording band "The Jazz Expressions". He also released two live albums, both recorded in Japan, and featuring the Jazz Expressions.Jimmy Scott's career has spanned nearly sixty years, and in that time he has performed with a list of artists that read like a history of jazz music in that time, including Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughn, Lester Young, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, and Peter Cincotti. He has also performed with a host of musicians from other genres of music, such as David Byrne, Lou Reed, Flea, Michael Stipe, and Anthony & The Johnsons.Most recently he has appeared in live performances with Pink Martini, and continues to perform to audiences internationally at music festivals and at his own concerts.Mr Scott lives in New Jersey, with his wife Jeannie.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Scott)
The world is finally catching up to Jimmy Scott. After more than five decades of being admired by fellow vocalists and a select claque of hipsters, the man whom Joseph Hooper, in a New York Times Magazine profile, called "perhaps the most unjustly ignored American singer of the 20th century" is finding a dedicated international audience for his unique, emotionally penetrating art. And the 75-year-old singer is presently working on his autobiography with David Ritz, the award-winning author noted for previous collaborations with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Etta James, B.B. King, and Smokey Robinson; Faith in Time: The Jazz Life of Jimmy Scott is scheduled for fall 2002 publication by Da Capo Press.The life story of Jimmy Scott is filled with heartbreak and hope, qualities he expresses most directly in his gripping, highly personalized readings of material from the Great American Songbook. Over the Rainbow, the singer's second CD for Milestone Records, follows the pattern of last year's acclaimed Mood Indigo: producer Todd Barkan surrounds him with world-class jazz instrumentalists, including guitarist Joe Beck, bassist George Mraz, drummer Grady Tate, vibraharpist Joe Locke, and saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, in a set of songs that Scott has known- and in most cases performed-throughout his life.Scott was 14 when he first heard Judy Garland sing "Over the Rainbow" in The Wizard of Oz. His mother had recently been killed in a traffic accident, and he and his brothers and sisters were sent off to different foster homes. The song, he says, "spoke to my soul." It "became a symbol of hope, an escape from misery, the promise of lasting love." "Pennies from Heaven" carries a similar meaning. "Just keep trying to make it some way," he explains. "Pennies will be t
here for you."The freedom with which Scott's voice floats so effortlessly over rhythm sections has been likened to that of the legendary tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Scott recalls that "Don't Take Your Love from Me," which he performs on Over the Rainbow, was one of two tunes he sang the first time he sat in with Young, during the mid-1940s at a club in Meadville, Pennsylvania."Billie Holiday loved him, and I could dig why," Scott says of Young. "Listening to him helped me so much in the expression of singing. It was such a comfortable thing to have him play between your vocal lines and to have solos played by him."Holiday, when once asked by a reporter which singers she liked, named only Scott. He returns the compliment by applying his distinctive style to one of her signature songs, "Strange Fruit," poet Lewis Allan's haunting tale of a lynching. Scott also reprises a couple of his own signature songs on Over the Rainbow: "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," the ballad that first brought him fame in 1950 as featured vocalist with the Lionel Hampton big band, and "When Did You Leave Heaven?," the old Bing Crosby favorite that Scott made all his own with a 1955 single that became something of a jukebox hit.Scott's unique way with songs, which cuts to the emotional core of lyrics with its subtly delayed timing, carefully clipped syllables, and ringing sustains, has inspired numerous other singers for half a century. Nancy Wilson and Frankie Valli borrowed elements of Scott's style in the Sixties, while Lou Reed and Madonna have championed his singing in recent times. "He is without a doubt the master of the ballad form," Wilson once stated. Ray Charles, another Scott fan, has said that "he defined what 'soul' is all about in singing long before anyone was using the word."James Victor Scott was born on July 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, where he still lives. He was one of ten siblings, all of whom sang in church to their mother's piano accompaniment. Like one of his brothers, he never experienced puberty, the result of Kallmann's Syndrome, a hereditary hormonal deficiency that stunted his growth and kept his voice from developing beyond boyhood. "I fought through it," Scott says of the condition. "It didn't matter. I was accepted into show business back in the early Forties. That helped a lot, and it never bothered me like it might some others."The singer's big break came in 1949, when Lionel Hampton hired him on the recommendation of Paul Gayten and billed him as "Little Jimmy Scott." "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," recorded at Scott's second session with Hampton, gave the singer his first and only chart hit, placing at No. 6 on Billboard's list of R&B jukebox platters. The labels of some Decca 78s mistakenly credited Irma Curry, Hampton's female vocalist at the time, but many fans knew better, especially women, who swooned at Scott's every deliciously split syllable during his year on the road with Hampton.Scott's hit and three other songs recorded with the Hampton orchestra, along with early Fifties solo sides for the Coral and Brunswick labels, were reissued in 1999 on the GRP CD Everybody's Somebody's Fool. Also released that year was the three-CD The Savoy Years and More containing his 1952 recordings for Roost Records and his 1955-75 output for Savoy. Scott also made a magnificent album for Ray Charles's Tangerine label and another for Atlantic, but Savoy threatened suit and had both suppressed.The singer spent long periods away from the microphone. He worked for a time as a hotel shipping clerk and as a caretaker for his ailing father. Scott returned to performing in 1990, and his career took off again two years later when Seymour Stein heard him singing at songwriter Doc Pomus's funeral and signed him to the Warner Bros.-distributed Sire label. Scott recorded two albums for Sire, one for Warner Bros. proper, and one for Artists Only! before joining Milestone Records last year.The past couple of years have seen Scott making triumphant tours of Europe and Japan, as well as being the subject of a Bravo Profiles television special in which he was saluted by such admirers as Alec Baldwin, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, David Lynch, Joe Pesci, Lou Reed, and Frankie Valli. And Scott has become a fashion model in an Italian advertising campaign for a new line of cashmere sweaters by celebrated Milan designer Saverio Palatella.The wisdom that Jimmy Scott has acquired during his often-difficult life oozes from every track of Over the Rainbow. As David Ritz observes so eloquently in his booklet notes for the Milestone CD: "In the fragility of his voice, there is enormous strength. His songs say that we can live with our inconsistencies; we can be fools but still survive; we can still hope for those pennies from heaven. We look to him for lessons in how to live our lives with patience, dignity, and a sense of wondrous beauty." Lou Reed on Jimmy Scott:
"I first met Jimmy Scott through the remarkable songwriter Doc Pomus. I'd heard about him for many years. At the gathering after Doc's passing Jimmy sang. He has the voice of an angel and can break your heart. He did that day and many others.I've heard and even sung with Jimmy many times since then. Here is the singer's singer if labels mean any thing. Listening to Jimmy is like having a performing heart. The experience of life and the art of expression sing through Jimmy and make us partners in his incredible passion. I love him and I never want to say goodbye. When the song stops with Jimmy's last note we're back in the world as it was. Not quite so pretty, not quite so passionate. And we can only wait for Jimmy to sing again and take us that little bit higher."
http://www.yardbirdsuite.com/Performers/@Other/FilmFestival.htm
http://www.wcpn.org/spotlight/jazz/1299-db-scott.html
http://home.nestor.minsk.by/jazz/articles/2006/11/0095.html
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2005/10/jimmy_scott_w_a_1.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/1994/06/17/scott.php
http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/5431/79/
http://www.culturekiosque.com/jazz/travel/jimmy_scott.html
http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/5431/79/
http://www.culturekiosque.com/jazz/travel/jimmy_scott.html
So i hope you enjoyed this year and the music i sent to you and hope your next year will be similar good or even better! Let's meet in 2008 !:)
I wish you HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH LOT OF GOOD MUSIC!!
ps:
ps:
some jazz still coming!
posted by saltyka at 2:04 PM
27 Comments:
thanks for all the great music.....have a great new year
hi,thanks and same great new year for you too!
salty
This is glorious!!!
Cheers
Imust say it again: This is glorious, some very serious stuff.
Thanks again
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! Jimmy Scott, Chet Baker and Billie Holiday are my absolutely favorite vocals in jazz. Jimmy's also an incredible person!!!
Thank you so much for this treasure trove!
You can't imagine guy, how many you make me happy today...Thanks, Thanks, Thanks...
precious & generous, thank you!
Geez... Wonderful! I'm so glad... I'll hook you up for my good music fans friends. Thanks a lot. Guilherme Brendler (from Brazil)
what a nice webpage you made. thank you so much for your time and generoity. the Jimmy Scott file is so helpfull. thank you to share the passion. happy new years to you.
jocelyne
We come to another New Year and the great Jimmy Scott remains with us. What a great singer, and what a fine tribute you have assembled. Let's wish all of us can demonstrate the determination of Jimmy Scott in 2009.
Ho Ho and Merry, Mike H.
lord, what a divine blog
Great music, thank you
Thanks so much for Jimmy Scott.
incredible! very good material, thank you very much!
It's a delight to see that you use the possibility to share love through music.
Thank you.
Athenatius
i would't thought that i will get the answer from this place. Itis really strange. One of the most important message i have ever get:) Thank you Athenatius for this:)
Cheers
salty
You're very welcome.
Athenatius
Thank you for all the great music of Jimmy Scott - amazing!
mille fois merci à toi
Could I say there was before and after discovering such a strange angel voice hesitating sing like a infinite whisper of love... thank you so much for sharing
jérôme from France
Could I say there was before and after discovering such a strange angel voice hesitating sing like a infinite whisper of love... thank you so much for sharing
jérôme from France
Thank u so much for collecting and sharing Jimmy Scott's work. This is truly a wonderful way to end the summer.
Willene
Susan continues to surprise us with her ability to take songs from diverse genre, reach deep within her soul, and pour out a fountain of emotion, creating something that captures the song's essence so we hear it new as we listen over and over. She just as adeptly swoons us with a saucy 40's-like bar room ballad "Lilac Wine," then mesmerizes us with haunting yet innocent versions of the 80's new wave classics "Mad World" by Tears for Fears and "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode. She cries with emotion and hope as she pleads with God, "You have to Be There," and dreams of her love's "Return." There's nothing Karaoke about this collection. Susan sings from the heart, with a passion that makes each song new.
Gosh....this post is priceless, thank you so much! Kisses from Brazil.
Eliane
Hello. I just found about Jimmy Scott and sadly because he just passed away. I'd loved what i just heard, and your's is the best post i found; sadly again all the links are broken.
It seems you're no longer around here but maybe one day you read this and let his voice blowing free in the net. Thank you.
This article is very good. Come and try reading some of me >> เชลซี
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