What an interesting topic. I'd known the name Bobby Scott for many years. But do I know his music? No! And thats's a shame. So, thanks to your great post, Marc. I will check out all your recommendations tonight š. I'm a little bit sad, that he passed away with only 53 years of age.
I've been seriously listening to jazz since my teens, almost 70 years. I've long been a Bobby Scott fan, first discovering a very interesting orchestral LP called "Joyful Noises" when it first came out. It was many years before I found his playing and singing. And I read his piece about his time with Prez in Gene Lees' JazzLetter, which may be his most significant contribution to the jazz scene.
Ronnie was truly an amazing musician. A pianist with almost Oscar Peterson chops, a great soulful vocalist, and a great songwriter who was responsible for tunes that became popular in radically different idioms- "He Aint Heavy, He's my Brother" a huge hit for the Hollies, "A Taste of Honey", became the theme song for the great movie with Rita Tushingham, etc,,,
But as a NY musician my entire life, I happened to play some gigs with an older fellow who could lay down the hippest changes on piano that I'd ever heard. His name was Ronnie Woellmer, and all I knew was that he was some type of harmonic genius. The guy was modest as hell, and I had no idea that he was Bobby Scott's trumpet player and arranger on the octet albums.
This was before the internet, and you couldn't find anything out about a musician's background, or I would have known that he actually won a DB poll back in the 50s for Best New Trumpet Player!
He also played trumpet for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra after Gil Evans left as their arranger,
Then he had a car accident, and lost most of his teeth, and had to switch to piano and arranging.
You can hear his brilliant arrangements on the Bobby Scott Octet album, the Sam Most Sextet albums, and even a composition he wrote for Claude Thornhill's orchestra called "Claudehopper".
He made his living playing keyboard for one of the 'jazz' club date offices, and I was lucky ebough to work with him, and others like him throughout 70s and and 80s until DJs ruined that end of what's left of the music buimess.
Somebody somewhere called him a titanic talent. HIs versatility somehow reminds me of Harry Connick Jr. Deserved to be better known. Too talented in too many areas.
Well put Marc-Antoine. To be a standout star, you need a public backstory. The public simply didn't know him or his ups and downs. He should have spoken to the media about his personal struggles. All greats have a story.
Big fan of Bobby Scott. Your blog was a big source for me when I wrote an essay about him in the early days of my Substack: https://www.listeningsessions.ca/p/the-heart-and-soul-of-bobby-scott
What an interesting topic. I'd known the name Bobby Scott for many years. But do I know his music? No! And thats's a shame. So, thanks to your great post, Marc. I will check out all your recommendations tonight š. I'm a little bit sad, that he passed away with only 53 years of age.
Great review and thank you!
I've been seriously listening to jazz since my teens, almost 70 years. I've long been a Bobby Scott fan, first discovering a very interesting orchestral LP called "Joyful Noises" when it first came out. It was many years before I found his playing and singing. And I read his piece about his time with Prez in Gene Lees' JazzLetter, which may be his most significant contribution to the jazz scene.
Ronnie was truly an amazing musician. A pianist with almost Oscar Peterson chops, a great soulful vocalist, and a great songwriter who was responsible for tunes that became popular in radically different idioms- "He Aint Heavy, He's my Brother" a huge hit for the Hollies, "A Taste of Honey", became the theme song for the great movie with Rita Tushingham, etc,,,
But as a NY musician my entire life, I happened to play some gigs with an older fellow who could lay down the hippest changes on piano that I'd ever heard. His name was Ronnie Woellmer, and all I knew was that he was some type of harmonic genius. The guy was modest as hell, and I had no idea that he was Bobby Scott's trumpet player and arranger on the octet albums.
This was before the internet, and you couldn't find anything out about a musician's background, or I would have known that he actually won a DB poll back in the 50s for Best New Trumpet Player!
He also played trumpet for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra after Gil Evans left as their arranger,
Then he had a car accident, and lost most of his teeth, and had to switch to piano and arranging.
You can hear his brilliant arrangements on the Bobby Scott Octet album, the Sam Most Sextet albums, and even a composition he wrote for Claude Thornhill's orchestra called "Claudehopper".
He made his living playing keyboard for one of the 'jazz' club date offices, and I was lucky ebough to work with him, and others like him throughout 70s and and 80s until DJs ruined that end of what's left of the music buimess.
Somebody somewhere called him a titanic talent. HIs versatility somehow reminds me of Harry Connick Jr. Deserved to be better known. Too talented in too many areas.
Well put Marc-Antoine. To be a standout star, you need a public backstory. The public simply didn't know him or his ups and downs. He should have spoken to the media about his personal struggles. All greats have a story.
Hi John. I removed the apostrophe, which was the onlyā comment.ā I suspect you hit the post button in error.