Little Jimmy Scott

As I write this I’m listening to David Byrne’s song  Heaven as interpreted by Jimmy Scott. Jimmy Scott passed away Thursday, June 12, 2014. He was 88. This article at theguardian.com highlights five of his performances and gives a little bit of background about his life and career. I became a fan of his during his second career and so I guess I might be accused of being a Jimmy Scott hipster.  I’m always mystified by his phrasing and by the way he can completely transform a song and make it his own. At first I thought the same pianist played on all his later recordings because the accompaniment is inspired, but when I researched it I discovered that he recorded with Michael Kanan, Junior Mance, Renee Rosnes and others- all great pianists, but it’s interesting that when playing with Jimmy Scott their playing is transcendent while still completely in service of the song and the singer. The only conclusion is that Mr. Scott himself was the inspiration for these players during the sessions. Rest In Peace, sir and thank you for the music.