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Marilyn Scott

Why do some artists thrive for decades in the ever-changing music world and others fade away so quickly? The reasons are myriad but there’s one factor shared by all of the true survivors: originality. The key to longevity is having something to say, and being able to say it in a manner unlike any other performer.

Marilyn Scott is such an artist. The veteran vocalist has been releasing critically acclaimed, cross-genre recordings for more than four decades, both as a leader and collaborator, and has dazzled audiences all over the world with her powerful live performances. She’s worked with some of the most gifted musicians in the world, including such highly regarded jazz ensembles as Spyro Gyra and the Yellowjackets, and some of the hottest names in the blues and R&B world, from Bobby Womack to Tower of Power to Etta James.

Throughout all of her work, there’s been one constant. “Never sound like anyone else,” she says. “You have influences but really, it’s your job to be who you are.”

For Scott, there was never any question about who she was and how she was going to express her individuality. Her interest in music began at age 11, listening to her mother’s Nat King Cole records, followed by the classic albums of Ella Fitzgerald. Coming up in the San Francisco Bay Area at the height of the rock and R&B explosion she had access to some of the most game-changing artists of all time. “We all went to the Fillmore and Winterland as much as possible and the surrounding club scene was full of life with music from all genres,” she says. “Local radio blended artists and styles so we all listened and that became our influence. Herbie Hancock and many jazz artists were experimenting with all forms of music so the freedom of spirit in song was the new road. We fused styles and pushed to see what we could create. When I saw [blues singer] Big Mama Thornton, I knew I would never feel the same,” Scott says. “Something real sat inside me, something called the blues.”

She began singing with local bands, and writing her own songs, while still quite young, supporting such giants as Chuck Berry, Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, Etta James and Betty Carter, and singing background vocals for the likes of Tower of Power, John Mayall and many others. “Working as a backup singer was a way I made money to support myself,” she says. “It did that and put me in front of many artists I never would have known or heard. I learned so much about techniques in recording and worked with so many producers and engineers that helped outline who I was and where I might be headed. I am humbled by those experiences,” she adds. “I feel so blessed in musical relationships that take shape on stage and in recording. I appreciate those roots and spread them out to connect the pieces to what will be new.”

Marilyn Scott: The Landscape

Read "The Landscape" reviewed by Jim Worsley

by Jim Worsley
June 16, 2022

Some artists feel obligated to put out a new record every one-point-three years, or whatever their factory warranty calls for (mileage may vary). Others are more interested in quality than quantity. On her first record since Standard Blue (Prana, 2017), jazz vocalist Marilyn Scott has something to say about The Landscape. More than the title track, Scott's concerns with our landscape is the scope and focus of seven original compositions, all co-written with pianists Russ Ferrante or Scott Kinsey. Scott ...

Album Review

Mike Miller: Trust

by Jim Worsley
March 4, 2022

This record is more than a breath of fresh air. It is more like when you open the front door and that momentary rush of crisp wind blows in. Trust embraces that sensation and creates a limitless screen door of opportunity. Ten original and melodious compositions by Mike Miller seamlessly flow, and both sustain and cherish the feel of the moment for the duration. The magnitude of this project propelled Miller to assemble an elite group of musicians. ...

Album Review

Marilyn Scott: Standard Blue

Read "Standard Blue" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 7, 2017

With an album title like this, some may be expecting boilerplate jazz that hews closely to some sort of straight-and-narrow musical orthodoxy. That, however, isn't what you get from vocalist Marilyn Scott. While it's true that Standard Blue is filled with familiar titles, these performances never sound platitudinous. Scott paints standards with a cool-headed attitude, exhibiting a strong appreciation for dialed- down fusion, straight ahead sounds, semi-smooth aesthetics, blues feeling, and, most importantly, hybridization. From the first ...

Album Review

Marilyn Scott: Standard Blue

Read "Standard Blue" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
March 3, 2017

Vocalist Marilyn Scott is not a new name in music. She has released 14 recording since the late 1980s, including the present Standard Blue. It is odd, then, that she has had so little coverage in these pages. George Harris wrote a revealing piece on her 2006 release, Handpicked (Prana Entertainment), but that is about it. A versatile artist, Scott has been able to exist, multidimensionally, across multiple genre, which has proven to be her charm. She does something very ...

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Album Review

Marilyn Scott: Handpicked

Read "Handpicked" reviewed by George Harris

by George Harris
May 14, 2006

On the heels of her excellent and most jazz-induced 2004 release, Nightcap, Marilyn Scott takes a step back and gives her growing group of fans a remarkable overview of her projection with a set of songs from her ten-year career. The queen of hazel-eyed soul leaves us with an entertaining sampler of her singing, interpretation and songwriting skills.

With George Duke at the helm of most of the songs, Scott has found the perfect partner to illuminate her sensitive yet ...

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Recording

Marilyn Scott Releases Set of Jazz Standards "Every Time We Say Goodbye"

Source: All About Jazz
June 29, 2008

Although the physical CD is currently only available as a Japanese import, jazz fans can download the album on iTunes or purchase the CD from Marilyn's website, though soon it will also be available on Amazon.com. The 10-song collection is comprised of standards such as the Cole Porter-penned title track, which sets the pace for the album as Marilyn's exceptionally soothing vocals take the listener to another time and place.

The artist spreads her wings on Irving Berlin's “I Got ...
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Recording

Marilyn Scott's "Everytime We Say Goodbye" in Stores Now!

Source: All About Jazz
May 22, 2008

Acclaimed jazz diva Marilyn Scott's new CD, Everytime We Say Goodbye is in stores now and also available at her website. To paraphrase from the title of a vintage jazz ballad, “It Was a Beautiful Three Days in August," when singer/songwriter Marilyn Scott fulfilled her long-held dream of recording an acoustic jazz album in New York City the way the legends used to do it - with the singer and musicians all cutting and working out arrangements together in the ...
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Recording

Jazz Vocalist Marilyn Scott Releases New Single, "The Wilderness," for Environmental Awareness

Source: All About Jazz
November 25, 2006

Marilyn Scott wants to make a difference in the world we live in. The jazz vocalist has moving and inspirational music to offer and an important message is inside her compositions. Her new release Innocent of Nothing is a testament to her commitment to developing outstanding music that everyone will enjoy and along the way, the hope is that her messages will get through on her latest single “The Wilderness."

“Music has a way of touching people's lives and 'The ...
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“With great material, winning arrangements, a strong stable of collaborators, and fine vocal work, all of the bases seem to be covered here. Everything clearly fell into place for Standard Blue. It’s a fine addition to Scott’s discography and, quite possibly, her strongest date yet.”

“From the first moments of the opener—a “Willow Weep For Me” that subscribes to a stylistic thread that could best be described as ambient neo-soul jazz—it’s clear that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill offering. As the album moves along, Scott continues to captivate with quiet energy.” – ALL ABOUT JAZZ – Dan Bilawsky