Information Americas, New York, NY, February 26, 2025: PBS is celebrating the life and legacy of Hazel Scott, the groundbreaking Trinidadian-born jazz pianist, Hollywood star, and civil rights activist, with the premiere of ‘American Masters – The Disappearance of Miss Scott.’ The documentary, aired on Friday, February 21 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS and streaming on pbs.org/americanmasters and the PBS App, honors Black Historical past Month by shining a long-overdue highlight on Scott’s outstanding journey.
Scott was a pioneering pressure in leisure, identified not just for her extraordinary musical expertise but additionally for her fearless activism. She grew to become the primary Black American to host a nationally syndicated tv present, however her rising stardom was abruptly derailed when she was blacklisted in the course of the Fifties Purple Scare.
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1920, Hazel Scott was a musical prodigy from an early age. Skilled by her mom, a classically skilled pianist and music instructor, she rapidly displayed a pure reward for the piano. At simply 4 years previous, she left the Caribbean together with her mom and grandmother, settling in Harlem, New York, the place she would turn out to be one of the crucial celebrated jazz musicians of her time. By the age of eight, Scott had already caught the eye of Professor Walter Damrosch on the Juilliard Faculty of Music, the place she grew to become one of many youngest college students to coach beneath the celebrated establishment.
Her early publicity to Harlem’s thriving jazz scene formed her profession, resulting in performances with legendary musicians like Max Roach and Charles Mingus in iconic venues akin to Café Society, the Cotton Membership, and Carnegie Corridor. These experiences solidified her place in music historical past as a virtuoso pianist identified for mixing classical music with jazz improvisation.
Scott’s abilities quickly caught the eye of Hollywood, the place she broke racial limitations by showing in movies as herself, refusing to tackle demeaning roles. She starred in motion pictures akin to One thing to Shout About, I Dood It, and Rhapsody in Blue, showcasing her extraordinary abilities and proving that Black artists might shine on the massive display with out compromising their dignity.
In 1950, Scott made historical past as soon as once more when the DuMont Tv Community gave her her personal tv present, “The Hazel Scott Present”, making her the primary Black American to host a nationally syndicated program. The present featured Scott’s musical performances alongside jazz greats like Charles Mingus and Max Roach, drawing in audiences throughout the nation.
Past her musical and Hollywood profession, Scott was a passionate advocate for civil rights. She refused to carry out earlier than segregated audiences, demanding equal therapy for Black artists. She additionally led an actors’ strike when a movie director tried to decorate Black actors in tattered costumes, difficult Hollywood’s portrayal of Black folks. In a single defining second, Scott sued a restaurant for refusing her service, standing up in opposition to racial discrimination in public areas.
In 1945, she married Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the primary Black American congressman from New York, additional cementing her position within the struggle for racial equality. Collectively, they shaped an influence couple devoted to social progress and justice.
Regardless of her success, Scott’s profession took a devastating flip within the Fifties when she grew to become a sufferer of McCarthy-era blacklisting. In a daring transfer, she testified earlier than the Home Un-American Actions Committee, defending herself and her colleagues in opposition to accusations of Communist ties. Her outspoken stance led to Hollywood and tv executives severing ties together with her, successfully ending her profession within the U.S.
Following her blacklisting, Scott left America and moved to Paris, the place she continued to carry out and report music. Nonetheless, her affect and contributions have been largely erased from mainstream American historical past – till now.
‘The Disappearance of Miss Scott‘ is the primary documentary to comprehensively discover Scott’s life, guaranteeing that her story is now not missed. That includes archival footage, uncommon efficiency clips, animation, and unique interviews, the movie captures Scott’s musical genius and her unwavering struggle for justice.
The documentary additionally contains excerpts from Scott’s unpublished autobiography, delivered to life by Jamaican American, Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. Interviews with nation star Mickey Guyton, actresses Amanda Seales and Tracie Thoms, jazz musicians Camille Thurman and Jason Moran, and Adam Clayton Powell III, Scott’s solely son, present further perception into her legacy. Biographer Karen Chilton, who has extensively researched Scott’s life, additionally shares her experience.
Scott’s pioneering contributions to music, tv, and civil rights make her one of the crucial necessary but underappreciated figures in leisure historical past. Her story is one in every of expertise, braveness, and resilience, and ‘American Masters – The Disappearance of Miss Scott,’ ensures that her legacy is lastly given the popularity it deserves.
By way of this documentary, PBS not solely celebrates Hazel Scott’s brilliance but additionally reaffirms her place in historical past as a trailblazing Trinidadian artist and activist whose influence continues to encourage generations.
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