Scott, Hazel. (1920–1981)
Signed Portrait and Original Poem
Unusual signed item from the jazz and classical pianist and singer, a large mounted color magazine photograph over an original poem "Queen of the Keys (To Hazel Scott)" neatly composed in red pencil by one Edna Lo Harrison in 1947. Scott has signed and inscribed the page in black ink "To Edna Harrison- My very best wishes / Hazel Scott." The poem reads in full: "From classical to modern / Her fingers caress the keys; / Sound emanates from her soul / with natural rhythmic ease. / Her music is so precise yet / She seems in a rapturous haze. / There's a depth of feeling in her eyes, / As she pats her foot and sways. / She shall be queen of the keys - / A halo of music her crown; / For through her dexterous fingers / She has become reknown." 9 x 12 inches (23 x 30.5 cm) and in very fine condition.Hazel Scott was an amazingly versatile performer, equally superb as a jazz and classical pianist and singer. She was featured in a number of major Hollywood films and was the first woman of color to have her own television show, The Hazel Scott Show. 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. (6023)
Signed Photograph Jazz