Hazel Scott

Biography

Trinidadian Performing & Recording Artists

Date of Birth (DOB): 6/11/1920
Died: 10/2/81
From: Trinidad and Tobago
Best Known for: Classical and Jazz Pianist

Bio: Hazel Scott, one of America's foremost pianists, was born in Trinidad, June 11th 1920. By the age of 3 she was playing the piano and By her eighth birthday, she performed in New York City and received a scholarship to study Classical music at the Juillard School of Music. Her jazz technique, she says, she owes to Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson.

She appeared in the production, "Priorities of 1942" and played twice at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City. Her motion picture career included the following pictures: SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT, I DOOD IT, BROADWAY MELODY, THE HEAT'S ON, and RHAPSODY IN BLUE. The combination of two approaches to piano in classical and jazz make Hazel Scott an outstanding contribution to any music lover's library.

Hazel Scott was married to the Rev. A. Clayton Powell, Jr., noted Congressman, preacher and editor. Hazel released a few dozen albums. Her most famous hit was "Tico Tico" and her style is a STRIDE / BOOGIE WOOGIE popular in the 40's. In the late 1940s, Scott became the first black woman to host her own television show, a position which she lost in 1950 when she was accused of being a Communist sympathizer. She refused to perform in segregated theaters and became an outspoken critic of both McCarthyism and racial injustice. After living in Paris for five years in the 1960s, she returned to the U.S. and to her television and nightclub career. Called a "musical chameleon" for her ability to shift from jazz to classical to blues, Scott continued to perform until her death.

Afiwi.com's complete profile on Hazel Scott
back to the Caribbean Hall of Fame Home

 
Search:     


for an extended Biography with photographs and links related to Hazel Scott and other famous Trinidadians and notable West Indians visit Afiwi.com's offical Caribbean Hall of Fame

Webmaster - Brad Tafa Hemmings
all rights reserved ©2001 iCarib-Media