MUSIC

Ovations presents From New Orleans:  Jazz Vocalist Cindy Scott w/ the Matt Lemmler Trio. Featuring Matt Lemmler on piano, Andrew Gordon on bass, and Jordan Almes on drums. Saturday, November 28.

Come enjoy your first live Christmas music of the season. Cindy is celebrating her new CD, "Let the Devil Take Tomorrow" which features an eclectic blend of original tunes and unique arrangements of jazz and not-so-jazz standards. About Cindy's live set, 4-time Grammy Nominee Karrin Allyson says, "I finally got to hear her in New York at the Cornelia Street Cafe in the Village. I loved her show. With her lovely voice and presence she radiates the joy of making music. Go hear her!! I wish I could be there too."

Introducing Cindy Scott:

Cindy Scott has a warm, sexy tone with clear presentation of lyrics and attention to melody. In her singing can be heard the influences of well-known jazz artists Sarah Vaughn and Karrin Allyson, with a touch of Ricki Lee Jones mixed in. She either swings hard or floats dreamily, depending on the song. Scott's passion for jazz comes out in her delivery and endears her to her listeners.

Scott was born into a family of musicians. She studied classical flute and attended Louisiana State University on a music scholarship. Then, as an exchange student in Germany, she discovered jazz. While studying abroad, Scott began singing with a German trio in the jazz cellars of the Black Forest. German native Thomas Gunther, now an in-demand pianist in Chicago, remembers working with Scott fondly. "Her timing and phrasing was that of an old, experienced jazz singer, very uncommon for someone only 21 years old. Both the instrumentalists and the audience alike loved her immediately for her charming stage presence, her wonderful voice, and her powerful interpretations of jazz standards."

After returning to the US, Scott continued singing. She sang with the Louisiana State University big band and also performed at jazz venues around town. She eventually attended the University of South Carolina for a Masters in International Business, and while there, she was the soloist for their big band led by Roger Pemberton, with whom she performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, Netherlands.

Scott moved to Houston in 1995 to further her corporate career. For several years, she worked in management for a large multinational energy services company. Somehow she found time to keep singing, and she quickly became an active part of Houston's jazz scene, playing frequently at all the top venues. Scott also worked to foster a growth environment for Houston's vocal jazz community. She organized master classes with national artists, including Roseanna Vitro, Nancy King and Kevin Mahogany. Cindy established and hosted Jazz Vocal Thursday at the renowned club Cézanne. For two years, this weekly event showcased guest vocalists performing a set with Scott's phenomenal band.

In January 2005, Scott left a successful corporate career to pursue music full time. She returned to South Louisiana to accept a full Graduate Assistantship in Jazz Studies at the University of New Orleans (UNO). The following August, Cindy, her husband, Bill, and their dog, Kitty, evacuated the day before Hurricane Katrina destroyed their one-story apartment. After a lengthy departure, they returned to New Orleans to participate in the city’s renaissance. Scott completed her Masters in Jazz Studies in May, 2007 and now teaches the UNO Jazz Voices, the university’s mixed-voice jazz vocal group. She plans to remain in New Orleans and continues to perform and teach in the area and elsewhere.

Cindy’s first CD, “Major to Minor,” has been well received among critics and fans alike and is currently being distributed in the US and Japan. A new CD is in the works with a planned release date of Spring, 2009.

As Roseanna Vitro stated, Scott's first CD "should make anyone take notice. It Don't Mean a Thing is killin'. Great, really. You should be very proud, Cindy. Congratulations."