Hazel Scott is an individual who demonstrates the greatness achieved when an artist cuts no corners in the pursuit of their craft. Her performances showcase the complete realization of her potential. Rather than approximating what she can be, her career instead exists as an expression of musical fruition. Scott’s dynamic stage presence may imply an exclusively innate flair for performance, yet the reality is that her polished style is born of an acute attention to detail developed through years of practice and study. Scott is not a happenstance star who was in the right place at the right time, she is a fitting example of why some people cannot be denied their eminence. This is certainly the case with Hazel Scott.
Scott’s musical knowledge is vast. As a child prodigy she gained an exceptional proficiency in classical piano literature that resulted in several scholarships to the Julliard School. Combined with an extensive knowledge of jazz and standard pop repertoire, her style is versatile and always relevant. Scott’s piano playing contains the dexterity of Art Tatum, the tempo of Fats Waller, the technique of Van Cliburn and the panache of Liberace. Yet the most amazing aspect of her musicianship is her ability to play stride bass with a speed and precision that is literally unmatched. A prime example of all these qualities is in her rendition of Chopin’s Minute Waltz. In an even greater degree of difficulty she plays in her impressive style on two pianos simultaneously during her cameo performance in the movie The Heat’s On.
Scott’s most successful on screen performance comes in the movie Rhapsody in Blue. During this appearance she effectively combines her virtuosic ability with tender vocal interpretations of George Gershwin’s songs. Considering she spent many years in France, this scene is somewhat biographical for her as much as it is for Gerswhin. Making the impossible into the possible, Scott has always remained a respected force among her peers. Perhaps Duke Ellington expressed his admiration for Scott best when he said, “No matter how good you think you get on the piano, never sit down after Hazel Scott.” It is generally believed that the great ones make things look easy, and it is with this and many other criteria that Hazel Scott indubitably qualifies as one of the greats.
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