The name Hazel Scott should probably be as well known as Billie Holiday or Lena Horne. A virtuoso of classic jazz and pianist, the child prodigy at once became one of the best -known entertainment figures of the 1930s and 1940s, playing in some of the most emblematic places in New York City, including coffee Society, The Cotton Club and Carnegie Sala.
He also appeared in numerous films and was the first black performer to have his own television program, “The Hazel Scott Show”, which headed the summer of 1950 (Ethel Waters was host of a special of a homonymous night in NBC in 1939, But Scott was the first to have a series).
The name of Scott and his legacy were apparently forgotten in musical and civil rights circles for generations until Alicia Keys praised her in the 2019 Grammy Awards.
“American Masters: The disappearance of Miss Scott”, a documentary that opens Friday in PBS, aims to rectify that when examining his life and his career and discover why this singular talent and an important historical figure is not well known. The film presents extracts from the unpublished autobiography of Scott, with the voice of Sheryl Lee Ralph, and interviews with the country of Country Mickey Guyton, the actors Amanda Seales and Tracie Thoms, the jazz musicians Camille Thurman and Jason Moran, and the former Media Executive Adam Clayton Powell III, Scott's, Scott's only son.
Nicole London, who directed and produced the documentary, has previously helped shape projects about Miles Davis, Sammy Davis Jr. and Marvin Gaye. London acknowledged the importance of Scott, but in reality he only knew some details about his life: he had been married to Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a policy of New York and pastor of the Baptist Church Abisinia, and that he had “played the two pianos” In the 1943 movie “The Heat's On”.
“I didn't know so much about her. But by immersing himself in this movie, she is a figure as imposing as any of them, ”says London. “That is what I want people to come out. This is a talent. This is a woman who had a deep career and amplitude of a career as memorable and worthy of canonizing as Marvin Gaye, such as Sammy Davis Jr. or Miles Davis. “
In addition to its realization of talent, Scott was also a civil rights defender in the decades prior to the wave of protests in the 60s. She would not touch before the crowds that were not integrated, a stipulation in her contract when she presented In music premises. She advocated her and other black artists when her career on the screen began to warm up, but it was said that a study clash had derailed her film career.
However, Scott flourished while he continued demanding equity and dignity. He finally approached him to organize a network television program, becoming the first black American to do it with “The Hazel Scott Show”, which was launched in Dumont. In a matter of weeks, the television network extended the program to a national program that was broadcast three times a week.
It was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to their sense of justice and how people should be treated equally. Everything seemed to go well, so the government came into play.
The documentary explains how Scott was caught in the red scare, with his name appearing in “Red channels: a report on the communist influence on radio and television”, an anti -communist document published in June 1950, which accused her of being a communist Powell recalled how his mother intended to testify to Congress to clear his name and shed light on the intimidation tactics that the government was using.
“I remember when my mother decided to testify in the Chamber's non -American activities committee. We were having dinner: my mother, my father and me, ”Powell recalls. “My father said: 'Why are you doing this? You can't win with these people. These people will catch you. She said: 'No, they are damaging many people, not just me. I have to go or tell them that they are non -Americans. My father was shaking his head. He said: 'You can't win.' ”
After testifying, Scott's television program was canceled and his employment opportunities in the United States suddenly dried. It was a fall that seemed to happen extremely fast. He ended up moving to Paris, where he continued enjoying a successful career. While I was there, she was surrounded by friends and visiting contemporaries, Powell remembers having played chess with a young Quincy Jones. Although he was out of the continent, he remained in touch.
“That is something we regret that we did not have time for them to really fit the movie. Nina Simone had written a beautiful letter to encourage her to return. 'Things are happening now, especially in the 60s. Things are happening now. We really see that there is hope of change. How can you not know your name in this fight? ”, Says London. “Martin Luther King also encouraged her to return and join the fight because there was a change of impulse.”
Scott returned to the US to a changed and charged atmosphere, with the passage of the big band and jazz, and a much more vocal opposition to racist attitudes and laws.
“My mother, years later in Paris, she said: 'Do you remember that your father said he couldn't win? Well, that's true. The television program ended. But what happened to Joseph McCarthy after that? He left unfortunately, ”says Powell.
Scott remained active in the civil rights circuit, but “he thought things were on the right path, that they made some progress,” says Powell. Scott wanted to be at home, adulterating grandchildren. He obtained his “dream commitment” when he was offered a period in Kippy's Pier 44 in New York for as many weeks as he wanted to act. Shortly after, she began to complain about stomach pain and then was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
By telling his story, London hopes that “people can come to their history, learn about Hazel, learn about what he did, learn about his virtuosity. Learn about your strength and courage. Here there was someone who established a model for his time, but he could take some lessons in his history. The way of advocating yourself, advocating your own talent, a way of advocating for your own freedom. “
“There is a reason why the title is 'the disappearance of Miss Scott'. I really see this documentary as the reappearance of Mrs. Scott,” says Powell.
