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06/13/14
Singer Jimmy Scott Dies at 88
Known for his high, soulful voice, he was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2007

By Jeff Tamarkin

Jimmy Scott, whose distinctively high soprano voice—caused by a rare genetic condition called Kallmann’s syndrome—gave his music a purity and youthfulness even into old age, died June 12 in his sleep at his Las Vegas home. His death, the cause of which has not yet been revealed, was confirmed by a family friend. Scott was 88.



Born James Victor Scott in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 17, 1925, one of 10 children, “Little” Jimmy Scott, as he was known early in his career, was born with the aforementioned condition, which stunted his physical growth and made him unable to reach puberty. As a result, Scott’s singing voice was unusually high for an adult male, however he used it to his advantage onstage and in the recordings he made beginning in the late 1940s with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Charlie Parker and others. Scott’s appeal crossed over from jazz into the nascent rhythm and blues world, and his 1950 Decca single with Hampton, “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” landed in the Billboard R&B top 10 (Scott was not credited on the record label, however).

Scott began recording under his own name in 1951, releasing his debut leader album, Very Truly Yours, on Savoy in 1955. But by the early 1960s, after an album he recorded for Ray Charles’ label was withdrawn due to contractual issues, he had largely given up music and begun working at various jobs outside of the entertainment industry. He released new albums in 1969 and 1975 but they went unnoticed.

Scott began performing in clubs again in 1985, and in 1991, he sang at the funeral of his longtime friend, songwriter Doc Pomus, and was subsequently approached by Sire Records chief Seymour Stein, who expressed an interest in recording Scott again. Scott released an album titled All the Way in 1992, and subsequent interest in the vocalist mushroomed. He was championed by rock artists such as Lou Reed (Scott sang on Reed’s Magic and Loss album) and David Byrne, and director David Lynch used him both onscreen and in the soundtrack of his popular TV series Twin Peaks.

Scott continued to record for Sire, then for Milestone and other labels into the early 2000s. A documentary film, Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew, was produced in 2002 and shown on PBS stations. A biography, Faith in Time: The Life of Jimmy Scott (DaCapo), by David Ritz, was published that same year. Several compilation albums of Scott’s early and later work have been issued by various labels, including the two-CD Someone To Watch Over Me, on Warner Bros., and a Rhino collection, Lost and Found. Jimmy Scott was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2007.

a huge loss for our community. one of our most unique talents and sweetest human beings. very grateful that he was with us for so many years.

Thank you, Ron. Jimmy was a rare, wonderful artist.

You're welcome, rlfun. Yes, Jimmy was extraordinary. Sad news.

Here are some poignant thoughts from pianist Renee Rosnes' Facebook page. They moved me when I read them this morning, so felt I should share them.

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"Jimmy Scott had a stunning voice, the hippest sense of phrasing and a completely unique stage presence. Ray Charles once said, "Jimmy was singing soul way back before anyone used the word!" I would sometimes work with Jimmy during the first years after I moved to New York, and would marvel at how he "became" the song. One of my favorite memories happened in the studio while recording his album, "But Beautiful." Jimmy and the exquisite Freddy Cole sang "When You Wish Upon A Star" as a duet. The two singers communicated together so naturally, it was heaven to listen to even as it was being created! Farewell Jimmy. You were truly one of a kind." - Renee Rosnes



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwnBOIH7PkE

In Musical Tribute to One-of-a-Kind Performer
Jimmy Scott Honored at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem



By NATE CHINEN OCT. 26, 2014

Jimmy Scott, who died in June at 88, had a voice out of time: ripe and cutting, nestled between male and female registers, utterly unmistakable in tone as well as timbre. His influence on other singers has been profound, especially taking into account the many years he lurked in obscurity. And the breadth of that influence — its great range of possibilities, not all of them emulation — was a striking feature of his memorial service on Saturday afternoon, at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.

The service, officiated by the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, featured a rich array of vocal performances, most of them touched by the electrifying pathos that Scott made his trademark. The house band was composed of his former sidemen, including the saxophonists T. K. Blue and Bill Easley and the bassist Hill Greene. (The estimable jazz pianist Randy Weston also performed a ballad, “The Healers,” joined on flute by Mr. Blue.)

Sam Moore, the indomitable soul singer, set a high bar with his keening, regal interpretation of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” over a gospel groove. His power of projection was later matched only by a nearly operatic Chuck Jackson, belting his signature hit, “Any Day Now,” in tribute to Scott and his widow, Jeanie.

Several other singers worked with a deliberative, aching languor, closer to Scott’s style. The most purely evocative was the New Orleans pianist and vocalist Davell Crawford, whose version of “When Did You Leave Heaven?” incorporated Scott’s behind-the-beat phrasing and dramatic intonation, approaching a sob. The actor-singer Storm Gardner was similarly faithful on “I’ll Be Seeing You,” but with more emotional reserve. And Antony Hegarty, who once featured Scott as his guest at Carnegie Hall, softly demolished “Smile,” making use of an ethereal, quavering falsetto; he nailed the otherworldliness, and the androgynous tone, that gave Scott an air of mystery.

To one degree or another, those were the stylistic heirs on hand. There was also a pair of singer-songwriter-pianists who qualify more as Scott’s peers. Andy Bey, who has made his own magisterial art out of slowly unfolding standards, delivered an “Embraceable You” that moved through the fullness of his range, all swoop and shudder. And Dr. John gave his song “My Buddy“ an easy, conversational cadence: “I miss your voice,” he sang in a restrained croak, making it feel like a direct address.

Among those who paid spoken tribute to Scott were his former sidemen; his biographer, David Ritz; executives from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Jazz Foundation of America; and the producer Hal Willner. A common theme in these recollections was Scott’s dauntless optimism in the face of a lifetime’s worth of hardship, including a hormonal condition, Kallmann syndrome, that influenced his singing voice. But the main point was his irrepressible talent. “He didn’t have to study to hit the note,” said the veteran R&B singer and pastor Mable John. “He was the note.”

Representative Charles B. Rangel spoke briefly, to greet his constituency and pay his respects; he recalled his first grateful encounter with Scott’s voice, courtesy of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra single “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” And a bit of related news came from Lloyd Williams, president and chief executive of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce: Next July 26, in a collaboration between the Harlem Music Festival and Jazzmobile, an afternoon concert will be held at Grant’s Tomb, entirely in tribute to Scott.


NY Times Article

I know that Jazzy Mary attended the memorial.