Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) – You (1970)
The Queen of the Organ plus King Curtis and David "Fathead" Newman covered this soul/funk bomb, originally co-written by Ivy Jo Hunter for Marvin Gaye.
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The prolific jazz organist Shirley Scott recorded at least 40 albums in the two decades between 1958-78, earning her the nickname “Queen of the Organ.” She married saxophonist Stanley Turrentine during the 1960s and played with him frequently until they divorced in 1971.
For her 1964 album Soul Shoutin', recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and released that July on Prestige, Turrentine wrote and played on the laid back jam “Deep Down Soul.” The LP also featured bassist Earl May and Grassella Oliphant on drums.
Two months later, in September, 1964, Scott and Turrentine were back at Van Gelder Studio recording material that was issued later that year on her Impulse! album Everybody Loves a Lover. She wrote the beautiful, self-titled “Shirley,” with Bob Cranshaw on bass, Otis Finch on drums, guitarists Howard Collins and Barry Galbraith, and Willie Rodriguez on percussion.
As the sixties came to a close, Scott released an album in collaboration with three of the greatest soul-jazz saxophonists of the era - King Curtis, Hank Crawford, and David “Fathead” Newman. Shirley Scott & the Soul Saxes was recorded in New York City, mostly during July, 1969, and released on Atlantic Records later that year.
It featured covers of well-known soul songs, including the swinging opening cut “It’s Your Thing,” the Isley Brothers’ breakthrough 1969 soul/funk hit. The album’s masterpiece was arguably its supercharged cover of Marvin Gaye’s #7 R&B jam “You” from 1967, co-written by Jack Goga, Jeffrey Owen, and Ivy Jo Hunter. The track featured a dream lineup of Curtis, Newman, and Crawford on saxes, Richard Tee on piano, guitarist Eric Gale, Chuck Rainey on electric bass, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Scott on organ.
Scott’s output slowed down in the seventies, but she still released one album a year during the first half of the decade. In 1971, Cadet issued her Mystical Lady LP, produced by the noted photographer-turned-producer and record company executive Esmond Edwards. Recorded at the Sound Exchange studios in New York City, one of its highlights was the beautiful jam “Love Dreams,” written by unsung saxophonist/arranger George Patterson.
Of its several covers, “Your Song” by Elton John was notable because it was one of the rare times she sang on one of her tracks, showcasing a gorgeous voice that should have been heard more often. It was also one of the most epic covers ever recorded of this iconic song.
Edwards also produced her next two albums on Cadet. For 1973’s Supersititon, Scott wrote the super funky opening cut “Hanky’s Panky.” She also wrote the powerful “Liberation Song.” Besides Scott on organ, it featured the great bassist Ron Carter, Frederick “Derf” Walker on congas, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Arthur Hoyle on trumpet, Murray Watson on flugelhorn, and Grady Tate on drums.
By 1976, Scott was leading a trio with Harold Vick playing tenor sax and Arthur Taylor on drums. One of their live performances was taped, including the laid back jam “Don’t Look Back,” written by Vick.
Happy 90th Heavenly Birthday to the great Shirley Scott.
Further info:
“Shirley Scott, 67, Performer Known as the Queen of the Organ,” obituary, The New York Times, March 16, 2002.
“Shirley Scott,” obituary, The Guardian, May 13, 2002.
“Shirley Scott, 'Queen Of The Organ',” WNYC / NPR, October 29, 2015.
#jazz #soul #funk #ShirleyScott