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Hazel Scott: The Pioneering Journey of a Jazz Pianist from Cafe Society to Hollywood to HUAC
"Hazel Scott was an important figure in the later part of the Black renaissance onward. Even in an era where there was limited mainstream recognition of Black Stars, Hazel Scott's talent stood out and she is still fondly remembered by a large segment of the community. I am pleased to see her legend honored."
---Melvin Van Peebles, filmmaker and director
"This book is really, really important. It comprises a lot of history---of culture, race, gender, and America. In many ways, Hazel's story is the story of the twentieth century."
---Murray Horwitz, NPR commentator and coauthor of Ain't Misbehavin'
"Karen Chilton has deftly woven three narrative threads---Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Harlem, and Hazel Scott---into a marvelous tapestry of black life, particularly from the Depression to the Civil Rights era. Of course, Hazel Scott's magnificent career is the brightest thread, and Chilton handles it with the same finesse and brilliance as her subject brought to the piano."
---Herb Boyd, author of Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin
"A wonderful book about an extraordinary woman: Hazel Scott was a glamorous, gifted musician and fierce freedom fighter. Thank you Karen Chilton for reintroducing her. May she never be forgotten."
---Farah Griffin, Institute for Research in African-American Studies, Columbia University
In this fascinating biography, Karen Chilton traces the brilliant arc of the gifted and audacious pianist Hazel Scott, from international stardom to ultimate obscurity.
A child prodigy, born in Trinidad and raised in Harlem in the 1920s, Scott's musical talent was cultivated by her musician mother, Alma Long Scott as well as several great jazz luminaries of the period, namely, Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday and Lester Young. Career success was swift for the young pianist---she auditioned at the prestigious Juilliard School when she was only eight years old, hosted her own radio show, and shared the bill at Roseland Ballroom with the Count Basie Orchestra at fifteen. After several stand-out performances on Broadway, it was the opening of New York's first integrated nightclub, Café Society, that made Hazel Scott a star. Still a teenager, the "Darling of Café Society" wowed audiences with her swing renditions of classical masterpieces by Chopin, Bach, and Rachmaninoff. By the time Hollywood came calling, Scott had achieved such stature that she could successfully challenge the studios' deplorable treatment of black actors. She would later become one of the first black women to host her own television show. During the 1940s and 50s, her sexy and vivacious presence captivated fans worldwide, while her marriage to the controversial black Congressman from Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., kept her constantly in the headlines.
In a career spanning over four decades, Hazel Scott became known not only for her accomplishments on stage and screen, but for her outspoken advocacy of civil rights and her refusal to play before segregated audiences. Her relentless crusade on behalf of African Americans, women, and artists made her the target of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the McCarthy Era, eventually forcing her to join the black expatriate community in Paris. By age twenty-five, Hazel Scott was an international star. Before reaching thirty-five, however, she considered herself a failure. Plagued by insecurity and depression, she twice tried to take her own life. Though she was once one of the most sought-after talents in show business, Scott would return to America, after years of living abroad, to a music world that no longer valued what she had to offer. In this first biography of an important but overlooked African American pianist, singer, actor and activist, Hazel Scott's contributions are finally recognized.
Karen Chilton is a New York-based writer and actor, and the coauthor of I Wish You Love, the memoir of legendary jazz vocalist Gloria Lynne.
---Melvin Van Peebles, filmmaker and director
"This book is really, really important. It comprises a lot of history---of culture, race, gender, and America. In many ways, Hazel's story is the story of the twentieth century."
---Murray Horwitz, NPR commentator and coauthor of Ain't Misbehavin'
"Karen Chilton has deftly woven three narrative threads---Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Harlem, and Hazel Scott---into a marvelous tapestry of black life, particularly from the Depression to the Civil Rights era. Of course, Hazel Scott's magnificent career is the brightest thread, and Chilton handles it with the same finesse and brilliance as her subject brought to the piano."
---Herb Boyd, author of Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin
"A wonderful book about an extraordinary woman: Hazel Scott was a glamorous, gifted musician and fierce freedom fighter. Thank you Karen Chilton for reintroducing her. May she never be forgotten."
---Farah Griffin, Institute for Research in African-American Studies, Columbia University
In this fascinating biography, Karen Chilton traces the brilliant arc of the gifted and audacious pianist Hazel Scott, from international stardom to ultimate obscurity.
A child prodigy, born in Trinidad and raised in Harlem in the 1920s, Scott's musical talent was cultivated by her musician mother, Alma Long Scott as well as several great jazz luminaries of the period, namely, Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday and Lester Young. Career success was swift for the young pianist---she auditioned at the prestigious Juilliard School when she was only eight years old, hosted her own radio show, and shared the bill at Roseland Ballroom with the Count Basie Orchestra at fifteen. After several stand-out performances on Broadway, it was the opening of New York's first integrated nightclub, Café Society, that made Hazel Scott a star. Still a teenager, the "Darling of Café Society" wowed audiences with her swing renditions of classical masterpieces by Chopin, Bach, and Rachmaninoff. By the time Hollywood came calling, Scott had achieved such stature that she could successfully challenge the studios' deplorable treatment of black actors. She would later become one of the first black women to host her own television show. During the 1940s and 50s, her sexy and vivacious presence captivated fans worldwide, while her marriage to the controversial black Congressman from Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., kept her constantly in the headlines.
In a career spanning over four decades, Hazel Scott became known not only for her accomplishments on stage and screen, but for her outspoken advocacy of civil rights and her refusal to play before segregated audiences. Her relentless crusade on behalf of African Americans, women, and artists made her the target of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the McCarthy Era, eventually forcing her to join the black expatriate community in Paris. By age twenty-five, Hazel Scott was an international star. Before reaching thirty-five, however, she considered herself a failure. Plagued by insecurity and depression, she twice tried to take her own life. Though she was once one of the most sought-after talents in show business, Scott would return to America, after years of living abroad, to a music world that no longer valued what she had to offer. In this first biography of an important but overlooked African American pianist, singer, actor and activist, Hazel Scott's contributions are finally recognized.
Karen Chilton is a New York-based writer and actor, and the coauthor of I Wish You Love, the memoir of legendary jazz vocalist Gloria Lynne.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 9, 2018
Hazel Scott was a pioneering jazz and classical pianist, vocalist, recording and concert artist and civil rights spearhead starting in the late 1930's and early 1940's. At a time when most audiences were still segregated, she insisted and had it written in her contracts that she wouldn't perform unless the audience was de-segregated. She was the darling of the exclusive New York City club, Cafe Society, performed for the troops and in aid of the war effort during WWII, was the first black woman to have her own TV show, and married fellow civil rights pioneer, The Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr.. Her involvement with politics ran her afoul of the HUAC (House Of Un-American Activities Committee) and she suffered from the ensuing scandal. For a while she was an ex-patriot living in Paris and performing in Europe before returning to the U.S. Karen Chilton's biography tells the full story of this remarkable and talented woman. - BH.
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February 1, 2023I read this specifically to understand Hazel Scott's testimony before HUAC. From Chilton's very believable description this was the case of a person who acted individually out of frustration and anger and did not coordinate her actions nor read the room. Believing that by "explaining" she could get out of a charge of being associated with Communists, in an environment in which getting out of the charge felt more important to her than the corrupt culture around the existence of the charges themselves, she screwed it up for herself and hurt others, most notably Barney Josephson who had been her manager.
September 14, 2010
This was a wonderful surprise read for me.
I heard about the book while watching one of the HBF panels where Karen Chilton discussed the book. It turns out that my liibrary had so I requested it.
It was a suprise read in many ways - biography/memoir is not my fav genre and when reading non-fiction books I usually do not read them straight through but pick them up and put them down over a couple of week period.
But, once I started reading this book - I did not want to put it down and read it in two sessions over this weekend (when I had actually planned to read something else).
The writing flows very well and that the book is a little of 200 pages also helped.
The author did a great job of writing about Hazel Scott the private and public person, and I think really got at the essence of who she was and how the times she lived in influenced her.
Before reading this book all I knew about Hazel Scott was that she was married to Adam Clayton Powell Jr and was in the entertaiment field.
After reading this book - I am sorry that I did not know more about her life and her contributions to the music world.
Especially interesting to me - was her attitude about obtaining equality for herself and others in the 40s., 50s. & 60s.
Hazel had it written into her contract that she would not perform before segregated audiences. If she appeared somewhere and it turns out that the audience was segregated or that blacks were not allowed in - she walked out and would not perform
When invited to Hollywood to perform/act in movies - at first she would only "act" as herself and if the outfits she wanted to wear were not up to her standards - then she wore her own clothes. And when offered speaking parts - would not accept roles if she did not like the parts being asked to play - the "mammy", etc.
A couple of quotes I liked:
"I'm not going to relax my effort to get rights for people of color merely because the Communist Party embraces that effort." - spoken during the time of the McCarthy era when if performed in a club where the owner was too liberal you were accussed of being a Communist and thus Un-American
"A person needs to go off somewhere and be alone so that his body can catch up with his soul" - spoken when constantly being in the limelight of being Powell's wife.
After finishing the book - I listened to some of her recordings and she was truly a gifted pianist.
My rating = 4.5
I heard about the book while watching one of the HBF panels where Karen Chilton discussed the book. It turns out that my liibrary had so I requested it.
It was a suprise read in many ways - biography/memoir is not my fav genre and when reading non-fiction books I usually do not read them straight through but pick them up and put them down over a couple of week period.
But, once I started reading this book - I did not want to put it down and read it in two sessions over this weekend (when I had actually planned to read something else).
The writing flows very well and that the book is a little of 200 pages also helped.
The author did a great job of writing about Hazel Scott the private and public person, and I think really got at the essence of who she was and how the times she lived in influenced her.
Before reading this book all I knew about Hazel Scott was that she was married to Adam Clayton Powell Jr and was in the entertaiment field.
After reading this book - I am sorry that I did not know more about her life and her contributions to the music world.
Especially interesting to me - was her attitude about obtaining equality for herself and others in the 40s., 50s. & 60s.
Hazel had it written into her contract that she would not perform before segregated audiences. If she appeared somewhere and it turns out that the audience was segregated or that blacks were not allowed in - she walked out and would not perform
When invited to Hollywood to perform/act in movies - at first she would only "act" as herself and if the outfits she wanted to wear were not up to her standards - then she wore her own clothes. And when offered speaking parts - would not accept roles if she did not like the parts being asked to play - the "mammy", etc.
A couple of quotes I liked:
"I'm not going to relax my effort to get rights for people of color merely because the Communist Party embraces that effort." - spoken during the time of the McCarthy era when if performed in a club where the owner was too liberal you were accussed of being a Communist and thus Un-American
"A person needs to go off somewhere and be alone so that his body can catch up with his soul" - spoken when constantly being in the limelight of being Powell's wife.
After finishing the book - I listened to some of her recordings and she was truly a gifted pianist.
My rating = 4.5
March 7, 2020
I had never heard of Hazel Scott. I was surprised to learn that she was the second spouse of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. There are lots of great stories in this book about Billie Holiday and Mary Lou Williams. They were especially kind and generous.
April 10, 2023
Wow, what a legacy Ms. Scott leaves behind. Although heralded in a very covert way on a historic level, her work as a pianist and activist, just two of the many hats she wore, showed what the human spirit, in all its resilience and intrinsic benevolence can become. I also lament the ill-treatment she received simply because she used her voice; she didn't transfer into a robot nor blindly or blithely accept what was, to some a predetermined plight of failure and acceptance of societal intransigence. Nevertheless, the proof is in the pudding, her sense of style, her historical pedigree and her uncompromising desire to thrive, made her- and Adam Powell Jr., a force to be reckoned with long before "we the people" had any wings. Loved it.
August 14, 2025
I was interested in viewing the documentary "The Disappearance of Miss Scott" on PBS, and I thought I could preview the content by reading Karen Chilton's biography of Scott, who was married for a decade to Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., elected to Congress from Harlem in 1945. Unfortunately, no copies of the book were available, except as an e-book at a local university. I decided to look for the book on archive.org and there it was!
I didn't think that Chilton's book was particularly scholarly or well written, but the point is that I could "get my hands on it" at all without paying some ridiculous fee to Kindle or Amazon or Amazon's antiquarian minion ABEbooks.
Here's to supporting public libraries, PBS, NPR, and freedom of thought and information!
I didn't think that Chilton's book was particularly scholarly or well written, but the point is that I could "get my hands on it" at all without paying some ridiculous fee to Kindle or Amazon or Amazon's antiquarian minion ABEbooks.
Here's to supporting public libraries, PBS, NPR, and freedom of thought and information!
December 5, 2025
Chilton is not a trained historian or scholar, and it shows in her writing. There is a lot of minutiae and very little historical context. This biography is not well-written, however, it is the only full biography of Hazel Scott that has been written as far as I can determine. For this reason alone, Chilton deserves praise and credit for writing about this important artist. Scott is featured in several works about women of color in film or music in general but this is the only book devoted to Hazel Scott alone. I hope the Scott/Powell family has now placed Hazel's papers in an archival repository so that her original material will be available to researchers in the future.
February 14, 2018
Well organized and engaging. Since it was a University of Michigan Press publication, I thought it was going to be more academic in style, but this is a biography written in a popular style with little attention given to analysis of her music or recordings. I was also annoyed by the lack of dates; I often had to turn to the citations to figure out when a certain episode was taking place. -- My rating is only a reflection of my engagement with the book. Readers who enjoy popular biographies of interesting individuals will certainly like this one.
May 21, 2017
This was a fantastic biography of the jazz pianist Hazel Scott. I appreciated how it went into great detail about how Scott's civil rights work and anti-colonialist views led HUAC to investigate her. As an aside, I also really appreciated the book's depiction of Scott's friendship with Billie Holliday. Too often, biographers focus on nothing but Holliday's addictions and tragic death. It was nice to read about what she was like as a sister-figure and mentor during her Cafe Society days.
January 17, 2021
A great read about a truly incredible life. The rise and fall of one of Jazz's brightest stars, nearly forgotten. Book contains a casting call of mid century jazz titans, fascinating tales both Harlem and abroad, politics, civil rights, and heartbreak.
Some sections are a bit dry and info dumpy, but overall the amount of information gathered and extraordinay tales shines through.
Some sections are a bit dry and info dumpy, but overall the amount of information gathered and extraordinay tales shines through.
June 19, 2017
What a fabulous life! I'd love to learn more about her compositions.
August 12, 2021
Wonderful traipsing through history
December 21, 2022
An engaging biography about an amazingly talented woman! I hadn't heard about Scott before reading this book and I'm so glad I did.
February 6, 2025
She was everyone's favorite musicians, favorite musician. So talented, full of personality and stood for something! It's a shame more people don't know about her!
February 8, 2025
I absolutely LOVED this telling of Hazel Scott’s life. I knew of her husband but I did not know her story. I laughed, I cried. I feel like I have just lost a friend. Sleep well Ms Scott. Sleep well.
March 11, 2025
3.5 *’s
A bit scholarly but still capturing the fire of this fierce woman
A bit scholarly but still capturing the fire of this fierce woman
September 10, 2015
Absorbing biography of a woman who touched many threads of American life: politics, racial justice, jazz, Hollywood, as she traversed the heights and lows of sustaining a multi-decade career in music. Mentored by some of the giants of jazz—Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, and Lester Young—Hazel Scott was also trained in the classics at Juilliard and first made her name with her specialty of swinging the classics (from Bach to Boogie Woogie). She headlined the first interracial nightclub in New York, tangled with Harry Cohn over the way blacks were portrayed in a movie she worked on, married Rep. Adam Clayton Powell. She refused to perform in any venue where the races were segregated—and in the thirties through the fifties that severely liited her opportunities. She was the first African-American to have her own network TV show before then ran afoul of the HUAC anti-communist witch-hunt. It is astonishing that someone who achieved so much is not better-known. Throughout the book, I was constantly amazed at the range of people who were in her social and professional lives, including Leonard Bernstein (she called him ”skinny Lenny,”), Lena Horne, Charles Mingus, Mary Lou Williams, and many more. The author had access to Scott’s unpublished journals and memoirs, and interviewed her son Adam Clayton Powell III.
For a glimpse of Hazel Scott in performance, see this short film made during World War II for the U.S. Armed Forces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G_Rz...
For a glimpse of Hazel Scott in performance, see this short film made during World War II for the U.S. Armed Forces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G_Rz...
January 21, 2011
What an interesting life this woman had? I generally don't like biographies or autobiographies but this book was great. I liked the format where the author used others' words to recount Hazel's life.
November 19, 2016
Very interesting. What an admirable lady. I really enjoyed seeing her play and sing on YouTube.
Excellent prose. Excellent narration. I'm very glad that I now know about her. Thank you Ms. Chilton. How can it be that I am the first to review this book? It's excellent.
Excellent prose. Excellent narration. I'm very glad that I now know about her. Thank you Ms. Chilton. How can it be that I am the first to review this book? It's excellent.
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December 19, 2018Amazing musical and cultural figure who deserves to be remembered by history
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews