Tom Scott (saxophonist)
![]() |
Tom Scott | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Thomas Wright Scott |
Born | May 19, 1948 |
Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Genres | West coast jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz |
Occupation(s) | Arranger, bandleader, composer, conductor, session musician |
Instrument(s) | Saxophone, clarinet, flute, lyricon |
Years active | 1965–present |
Labels | Verve |
Thomas Wright "Tom" Scott (born May 19, 1948) is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble the L.A. Express.
Biography
Scott was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of prolific film and television composer Nathan Scott, who had more than 850 television credits and more than 100 film credits as a composer, orchestrator and conductor, including the theme songs for Dragnet and Lassie.[1]
Tom Scott's best-known works are the theme songs for TV series and movies from the 1970s and 1980s — Starsky and Hutch (a track entitled "Gotcha!") and The Streets of San Francisco, and his soprano sax solo and fills on the 1975 No. 1 hit single "Listen to What the Man Said" for Wings. In 1976 he played the theme I Still Can't Sleep in Taxi driver.[2] In 1982, Scott collaborated with Johnny Mathis to write and record two versions – lyrical and instrumental – of "Without Us", the theme to the 80's sitcom Family Ties. His version of "Today" (a Jefferson Airplane original) was sampled in the Pete Rock & CL Smooth 1992 hit "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)".[3] In the Philippines, his best known hit is "Keep This Love Alive", which is a cut from his 1991 album of the same title, and featured lead vocals by David Pack.
Scott's professional career began as a teenager, as leader of a jazz ensemble Neoteric Trio, and then as a "first-call" session musician. He has dozens of solo recordings for which he collected thirteen Grammy nominations (three of which he won). He also has numerous film and television scoring credits, including composing and conducting the score for the movie Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and appeared on records by such diverse artists as George Harrison, the Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, Steppenwolf, Rod Stewart ("Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"), Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Blondie ("Rapture"), Eddie Money, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Quincy Jones, Carole King, Helen Reddy, Olivia Newton-John and Frank Sinatra.
He produced two albums for tenor vocalist Daniel Rodriguez, formerly ‘The Singing Policeman’, the first of which, The Spirit of America, has sold over 400,000 copies to date. Scott is also a member of the Les Deux Love Orchestra and has conducted over thirty symphony orchestras around the U.S. as music director for Rodriguez.[4]
Scott was a founding member of the Blues Brothers Band, despite his absence in the two films, The Blues Brothers and Blues Brothers 2000. According to Bob Woodward's account in John Belushi's biography, Wired, Scott left the band after their 1980 tour over a salary dispute. However, he reunited with Dan Aykroyd in 1988 to record a few tracks for The Great Outdoors.[5] Scott was also the leader of the house band on two short-lived late night talk shows: CBS' The Pat Sajak Show and Fox's The Chevy Chase Show and the Musical Director of the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, several Emmy Awards telecasts from 1996 to 2007, Ebony's 50th Birthday Celebration, and the People's Choice Awards telecasts.
Guitarist Robben Ford credits Scott and Roger Kellaway, whom he met while playing for Joni Mitchell, as a major influence on his musical development.[6]
Discography
As leader
- The Honeysuckle Breeze (Impulse!, 1967)
- Rural Still Life (Impulse!, 1969)
- Hair to Jazz, 1970
- Paint Your Wagon, 1971
- Great Scott, 1972
- New York Connection, 1975
- Blow It Out, 1977
- Intimate Strangers (partially live), 1978
- Street Beat, 1979
- Apple Juice (live), 1981
- Desire, 1982
- Target, 1983
- One Night – One Day, 1985
- Streamlines, 1987
- Flashpoint, 1988
- Them Changes (with The Pat Sajak Show house band), 1990
- Keep This Love Alive, 1991
- Born Again, 1992
- Reed My Lips, 1994
- Night Creatures, 1995
- Toy Story 2: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack, 1999
- New Found Freedom, 2002
- Bebop United (live), 2006
- Cannon Reloaded, 2008
With the L.A. Express
- Tom Scott and The L.A. Express (Ode, 1973)
- Tom Cat (Ode, 1974)
- Bluestreak (GRP, 1997)
- Smokin' Section (Windham Hill Jazz, 1999)
With The Blues Brothers
- Briefcase Full of Blues, 1978
- Made in America, 1980
- Best of the Blues Brothers, 1981
- Dancin' Wid Da Blues Brothers, 1983
- Everybody Needs the Blues Brothers, 1988
- The Definitive Collection, 1992
- The Very Best of The Blues Brothers, 1995
- The Blues Brothers Complete, 2000
- The Essentials, 2003
As sideman
With Don Ellis
- Don Ellis Orchestra 'Live' at Monterey! (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
- Live in 3⅔/4 Time (Pacific Jazz, 1967)
- Pieces of Eight: Live at UCLA (Wounded Bird, rec'd 1967, released 2006)
- Welcome Home (World Pacific Jazz, 1968)
- Six Million Dollar Man (Flying Dutchman, 1975)
With Alphonse Mouzon
- The Man Incognito (1975)
With Oliver Nelson
- Live from Los Angeles (Impulse!, 1967)
- Soulful Brass with Steve Allen (Impulse!, 1968)
With Bill Plummer
- Cosmic Brotherhood (1968)
With Howard Roberts
- The Magic Band - Live at Dontes (1968, released 1998)
- The Magic Band - Vol 2 (1968, released 1998)
With Lalo Schifrin
- Che! (soundtrack) (Tetragrammaton, 1969)
- Rock Requiem (Verve, 1971)
With Gábor Szabó
- Light My Fire with Bob Thiele (Impulse!, 1967)
- Macho (Salvation, 1975)
With Bob Thiele Emergency
- Head Start (Flying Dutchman Records, 1969)
With Carole King
- Jazzman (Jazzman Records, 1974)
References
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (March 3, 2010). "Nathan Scott, 94, scored TV shows – Composer's credits included 'Dragnet,' 'Lassie'". Variety Magazine.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ Jody Jazz. Retrieved 2008-03-25
- ^ [Bob Woodward, Wired, Simon & Schuster, 1987].
- ^ "Robben Ford Guitar Lesson". Blues Revolution, True Fire. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
External links
- American saxophonists
- American jazz saxophonists
- Jazz musicians from California
- Musicians from Los Angeles, California
- Smooth jazz saxophonists
- 1948 births
- Living people
- Grammy Award winners
- Impulse! Records artists
- GRP Records artists
- Atlantic Records artists
- Columbia Records artists
- Windham Hill Records artists
- Flying Dutchman Records artists
- The Blues Brothers members
- Steely Dan members