Joe McCarthy wanted history to forget the inimitable Hazel Scott—and almost succeeded
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By Denise Oliver Velez, Daily Kos
When many people think about jazz, or Black music in general, they rarely relate it to political issues involving the suppression of performing artists. In this #BlackMusicSunday series, we’ve addressed racism in the business side of the music industry, as well as the political repression of Black folk singers, like Josh White, Leon Bibb and Oscar Brown Jr.
Today, I’d like to explore what happened to Hazel Scott, who for a period of time had reached the heights of fame and celebrity, only to disappear into historical obscurity. What was done to Scott was a travesty, and in today’s political climate of Trump spewing “communist” accusations at all and sundry on the Democratic side of the aisle, Scott’s story is a cautionary tale.
Hazel Scott’s name is not a household one. When making lists of major Black pianists for this sub-series, I admit that I initially overlooked her. It’s amazing how political blacklisting really was like erasing the pages of history. I promised last week to cover some of the other jazz greats on piano today. However, dear readers, I am setting them aside for another Sunday; Scott’s story needs to be told in full.
This short mini doc, What Ever Happened to Hazel Scott, written and directed by filmmaker Eve Goldberg, tells the whole tale, opening with Scott playing “A Foggy Day” with her trio, bassist Charlie Mingus and drummer Rudy Nichols. It covers her early years, her rise to stardom, integration at the Café Society club, her marriage to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and the cause of her downfall—blacklisting.
Karen Chilton, Scott’s biographer, wrote this detailed piece for the Smithsonian Magazine, “Hazel Scott’s Lifetime of High Notes,” which includes highlights from her life…
Read the full article here
Learn more about blacklisting here and here
More Breaking News here
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Very informative article and video. Thanks