Scott, Shirley
Prestige, 2004, CD
Instrument: Piano
Issue: 10.3
Jazz Ruler Type: Kool
Performance: 4
Sound: 3
Score: 
O’s Notes: Shirley fought two battles in gaining acceptance as a jazz musician. The first was as a woman in a man’s world. The second was as an organist. While the organ came to be accepted as a cool jazz instrument in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, there was a lot of debate initially. Scott played a lot with Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis but she works in a trio with George Duvivier (b) and Arthur Edgehill (d) for these sessions. The 16 songs showcased on Trio Classics come from 1958’s Great Scott and Shirley’s Sounds. Listening to them today we get a true appreciation for her dynamic style. Shirley knew when and how to make the organ scream to accentuate the moods of the song. It is cool R&B jazz that is still appreciated.
