| Smooth Jazz |
For at least three years, I had been planning to seek out Kim Scott’s albums. Why? Because, from my perspective, she holds a unique place in the world of smooth jazz, likely due to her highly structured compositions, sumptuous arrangements, and an evident personality that gives meaning to her compositions. With remarkable precision in her playing, Kim Scott is one of those artists who manage to surprise me, and I truly appreciate her art.
And I’m not the only one who thinks highly of this artist. With five albums to her name, Kim Scott has established herself as an essential figure in the genre and a promising soloist and collaborator for the future. Ronald Jackson, a journalist for The SmoothJazz Ride, states: “Artists like Kim Scott bring exuberance to an art form long prophesied to be condemned by critics. When you hear the allure and magic of her style, like the Pied Piper, you come to the conclusion that these critics are far from the truth.” Her collaborations include performances and recordings with Jonathan Fritzen, James Lloyd, Jazmin Ghent, Greg Manning, and others.
This speaks to the importance of this artist, especially in a relatively male-dominated world of smooth jazz. When such a talented artist emerges, they are noticed. Thanks to artists like Kim Scott, we no longer differentiate between the jazz artists we talk about and promote, contributing to the unique identity of Bayou Blue Radio. Therefore, amidst the tons of Christmas albums that have been inundating me for the past few weeks, most of which bore me deeply, I decided to reach out to Kim Scott, who was kind enough to send us her album “Shine.” It is beautifully executed, as I expected, with a wide range of musical influences. Kim Scott is a woman of culture and an accomplished artist. In the structure of the compositions, she sometimes reminds me of Bob James (another of our favorite artists) because of the same delicacy and attention to detail in the compositions and arrangements. Although the music is not the same, we are undoubtedly in the presence of an extraordinary artist, as significant as a composer and arranger as she is as a flutist.
This album features some talented guests, such as Jonathan Butler, Althea Rene & Ragan Whiteside, and Blake Aaron, adding to the album’s uniqueness and creating a constant listening pleasure. Kim Scott is an artist we will be following from now on because she clearly enters the exclusive circle that Bayou Blue Radio features. There are many highly skilled artists, but we particularly appreciate originality and artists who push their boundaries, which is the case with Kim Scott, whose album “Shine” unquestionably joins the list of essential albums according to the editors of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, November 6th 2023
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