Tom Scott - saxophones, lyricon; Ron Aston - drums; Russ Ferrante - keyboards; Jim Haslip - bass; Steve Khan - guitar
Opening with his own take on the Carole King classic, "Jazz Man" saxophonist Tom Scott and friends offer up a sassy performance at New York's Bottom Line club, recorded originally for the King Biscuit Flower Hour in November of 1978. Scott, best known for his work with Joni Mitchell and his early-'70s band, the LA Express, was back after a year-long absence with a solo band and a Columbia Records disc.
Highlights include "Dirty Old Man," "New York Connection," "Breezin' Easy," and "Shadows." Scott uses the dual selections, "Sudden Attack (Intimate Suite Part I)" and "A Day And A Night Out Together (Intimate Suite Part 2)" as a combined 25-minute opus to showcase his all-star band.
Scott was born in LA in 1948, the son of a popular band leader and TV composer, Nat Scott. (Nat Scott is best known for composing the theme song for the Dragnet TV series.) While in his teens, Scott led his own jazz group, and by the time he had finished college, he was an in-demand studio session player. Being based in LA, and gaining a great reputation as the "go to guy" for sax solos and horn arrangements, Scott soon found himself working with a myriad of A-list music celebrities, among them the Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, the Carpenters, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Blondie, Eddie Money, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Quincy Jones, and Frank Sinatra.
In the late-'60s and early-'70s, he started recording upbeat jazz albums under his own name, and in 1973, he formed the LA Express with Joni Mitchell's boyfriend, drummer John Guerin. The affiliation led to a long-term backing gig with Mitchell, with Scott being the musical director for her platinum selling CDs, Court & Spark and Miles of Aisles. Scott was an original member of the Blues Brothers band with John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. He was also the musical director for the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards for several telecasts in the 1990s, and was musical director for both The Pat Sajek Show and The Chevy Chase Show.
Today, Scott works both as a solo jazz artist and as a guest conductor for over 30 U.S. symphonies.