Dan Ouellette on webpage Udiscovermusic.com has posted an article about Tony Scott called “How A Bebop Jazz Clarinetist Invented New Age Music”. It is an excellet introduction to this remarkable artist who is just as much overlooked in the world of jazz as he is in “our” genre.
Here is the introduction:
“A key player in the New York jazz scene of the 50s, clarinetist Tony Scott made a dramatic, career-changing turn at the end of that decade. In 1959, he pursued a nomadic lifestyle for six years, following an insatiable curiosity for exploring new tonalities, asymmetrical phrasing, and improvisation beyond bebop, the dominant American jazz sensibility of the time. What eventually emerged was three fascinating records that, today, are regarded as the first New Age albums.”
Here is the album that started it all:
Dan Ouellette continues:
“Before all that, though, Scott was well known in New York jazz, playing alongside Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, and Miles Davis, and developing the sound of the clarinet to navigate the new vistas of bebop and post-bop. He was championed for his playing by the jazz magazine DownBeat in its polls in 1955, 1957, and 1959. But as the decade wound to a close, Scott abandoned New York in a state of mourning for many of his colleagues who had passed away, as well as the demise of the once-vibrant 52nd Street scene. Adding to Scott’s disillusionment was the changing role of his instrument. Early on in jazz, the clarinet was a featured instrument in the hands of big band leaders like Benny Goodman. But as bebop became the sound du jour, the clarinet was eclipsed by saxophones and trumpets.”
Read the whole post on Udiscovermusic.com. Highly recommended!
Also, check out our story “The first New Age music album ever“.