Hazel Scott

Hazel Dorothy Scott June 11 1920 – October 2 1981 Was A Jazz And Classical Pianist And Singer. She Was Born In Port Of Spain Trinidad And Tobago And Raised In New York City From The Age Of Four. She Performed Extensively On Piano As A Child Then Trained At The Juilliard School. She Appeared In The Production Priorities Of 1942 And Performed Numerous Times At The Famed Carnegie Hall. Her Motion Picture Career Included The Films Something To Shout About Dood It Broadway Rhythm The Heat's On And Rhapsody In Blue. She Was Known For Improvising On Classical Themes And Also Played Boogie-Woogie Blues And Ballads. She Was The First Woman Of Color To Have Her Own Television Show "The Hazel Scott Show" Which Premiered On The DuMont Television Network On July 3 1950. However The Show Was Canceled In 1950 Due It Being Unable To Get A Sponsor When She Was Accused Of Being A Communist Sympathizer She Denied The Charges Due To Her Public Opposition To McCarthyism And Racial Segregation. The Final Broadcast Was September 29 1950. Her Album Relaxed Piano Moods On The Debut Record Label With Charles Mingus And Max Roach Is Generally The Album Most Highly Regarded By Critics Today. She Was Married To U.S. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. From 1945 To 1956 By Whom She Had One Child Before Their Divorce Adam Clayton Powell III. She Died Of Pancreatic Cancer At The Age Of 61 On October 2 1981 At Mount Sinai Medical Center In New York City. read less