June 2000

Shirley Scott
Recontres du Cloitre, Volume 1
Jazz aux remparts

By Nancy Ann Lee

Fans of Philadelphia native Shirley Scott who know her as a Hammond organ master, may find this 1996 live-recorded, European solo-piano performance a rare but disappointing departure. In an oddly syncopated, heavy-handed, deliberate acoustic piano style that often seems influenced by ragtime, Scott renders 12 familiar standards, some of which are interrupted by annoying surrounding sounds. If you've heard her wonderfully light touch on her 1991 live-recorded piano trio album, Blues Everywhere (Candid), you'll find this performance doesn't match up. Still, for completists, there are some priceless moments.