Song:Blue Seven
Album:Blue Seven
Organist Shirley Scott was one of the few female jazz musicians recording as a leader in the 50s and 60s. She was known as Queen of the Organ. Her recordings on Prestige Records are particularly good. She was born Mar. 14, 1934 in Philadelphia. She played piano and trumpet but turned to the Hammond organ because she was a big Jimmy Smith fan. Shirley first was noticed playing in tenor sax legend Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis' band starting in 1957. Davis recorded for Prestige and label owner Bob Weinstock thought she would make a great solo artist. The organ was a very popular jazz instrument at the time and a woman leader was very unusual. Her first album Great Scott was released in 1958 and was recorded with George Duvivier on bass and Arthur Edgehill on drums. By 1960, Shirley left the Davis band to go solo. This version of the Sonny Rollins song Blue Seven was recorded in 1961 and released in 1965. That kind of delayed release was normal at jazz labels. They would stockpile recordings and space out the release. Musicians are Oliver Nelson on tenor sax, Joe Newman on trumpet, George Tucker on bass and Roy Brooks on drums. This album was released on CD in 2000 as part of the Original Jazz Classics series with a bonus track. It is available as a budget CD. Shirley married tenor sax legend Stanley Turrentine in 1960. They toured together and occasionally played on each other's albums. Shirley left Prestige in 1963 and recorded for Impulse!, Atlantic and Cadet. By the mid-70s, her recording career ended and Shirley turned to teaching. She was always a big part of the Philadelphia jazz scene. Shirley returned in the late 80s and recorded for Muse and a couple of piano albums for Candid. Shirley Scott won an $8M settlement after it was learned the diet drug phen-fen caused cardiac problems. She died on Mar. 10, 2002 at age 67. Here's a video for Blue Seven by Shirley Scott.
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