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28 January 2005
jimmy scott: if you only knew
He's been called everything from "the mocha pixie" to "the most unjustly ignored American singer of the 20th Century" (by The New York Times), and those of you who know me know I'm a Jimmy Scott fan. The documentary entitled Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew is now available as a DVD, and our copy just arrived today. I'm tickled.
Jimmy Scott's story is amazing, just like the sound he produces. His life story makes you shake your head and wonder what planets aligned to make so many things go so terribly wrong. And yet... decades later, he's been rediscovered and given a small part of the credit he's due. I first learned of him completely by chance, but I remember it clearly. I was cleaning our apartment in La Jolla and had Bravo (the cable channel) on the television. Terrence was out of town, so having music or the television on was a nice distraction from the quiet of the apartment.
I turned off the vacuum and heard this haunting voice--I later learned it was Jimmy Scott singing "Day By Day," and went to see who was producing an incredible, and incredibly...s...l...o...w...sound. I found myself watching an assortment of figures from the music and entertainment business talking about this small man who had moved them. (I especially recall Joe Pesci speaking eloquently--something his film persona doesn't suggest) Hell, I was moved just listening to a few bars of a song over the television speakers. I went out and bought a copy of Lost and Found, the album that had been kept off the market for over twenty years because of a contractual dispute with Jimmy Scott's former record label, and it remains one of my favorite albums.
During our time in San Francisco we were fortunate to attend one of Jimmy Scott's concerts at the Masonic Auditorium as part of the SFJazz Festival. I was moved to tears. When he sings, you feel it.
The story behind the making of the documentary is on Rhino's site, as is a Q&A with Jimmy Scott. PBS, which ran the documentary on many stations, also has a microsite on it.