Kenneth Kamal Scott
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Kamal Scott is a singer, dancer and actor whose sixty-five year career has included numerous achievements in a diverse array of genres and settings, including Broadway, jazz, pop, opera, ballet and modern dance.
Scott began his performance career as a singer at age seven, and by the age of eleven began performing at the Apollo Theater
as the featured vocalist for legends such as Earl "Fatha" Hines
. Other notable accomplishments include dancing as a member of the Alvin Ailey
company in 1959, rising to the starring role of The Wiz in the Broadway company from 1975 to 1979, scoring a hit with the song “Bolinas” as featured vocalist with Billy Cobham
in 1978, and appearances with the Boston Pops under John Williams
. In his later career, Scott began exploring and teaching the art of Bel canto
singing, including a recital at Merkin Hall at Lincoln Center in October 2004. Scott is currently on faculty as a vocal instructor at the Mannes College of Music
and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
, was a legendary jazz guitarist who performed with the Nat King Cole trio. His mother, Phyllis Ashby, performed as a big band vocalist, and his father, Leslie Scott, was a highly successful baritone who played Porgy in the national and international production of Porgy and Bess
in 1953 and later played Jake in the 1959 film version. Mr. Scott has two sons by his first wife, Myrna White: Kenneth Scott, and Jonathan Scott, who was a noted hip-hop artist under the name Dred Scott. Mr. Scott is also father-in-law to Jonathan Scott’s wife, jazz singer Adriana Evans
.
, Her First Roman
, I'm Solomon, Hallelujah, Baby!
, Hello, Dolly!
and Golden Boy
. Of his lead role in The Wiz, the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Kamal shines. Kamal is a phenomenon...He could star in anything." Kamal Mr. Scott portrayed Joseph in the debut of the play Black Nativity
at Avery Fisher Hall
in New York City in 1961 and later performed as the Griot in the Penumbra Theatre Company
production of the same play in St. Paul Minnesota in 1999.
Scott began his performance career as a singer at age seven, and by the age of eleven began performing at the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
as the featured vocalist for legends such as Earl "Fatha" Hines
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
. Other notable accomplishments include dancing as a member of the Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
company in 1959, rising to the starring role of The Wiz in the Broadway company from 1975 to 1979, scoring a hit with the song “Bolinas” as featured vocalist with Billy Cobham
Billy Cobham
William C. Cobham is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s....
in 1978, and appearances with the Boston Pops under John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
. In his later career, Scott began exploring and teaching the art of Bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
singing, including a recital at Merkin Hall at Lincoln Center in October 2004. Scott is currently on faculty as a vocal instructor at the Mannes College of Music
Mannes College of Music
Mannes College The New School for Music is The New School university's music conservatory. While the university's main campus is located in Greenwich Village, New York City, Mannes maintains its main academic building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan....
and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
Family
Mr. Scott comes from a musical family. His uncle, Irving AshbyIrving Ashby
Irving C. Ashby was an American jazz guitarist.Ashby was born in Somerville, Massachusetts. After playing rhythm guitar in Lionel Hampton's orchestra, he played in the Nat King Cole Trio from 1947 to 1951...
, was a legendary jazz guitarist who performed with the Nat King Cole trio. His mother, Phyllis Ashby, performed as a big band vocalist, and his father, Leslie Scott, was a highly successful baritone who played Porgy in the national and international production of Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
in 1953 and later played Jake in the 1959 film version. Mr. Scott has two sons by his first wife, Myrna White: Kenneth Scott, and Jonathan Scott, who was a noted hip-hop artist under the name Dred Scott. Mr. Scott is also father-in-law to Jonathan Scott’s wife, jazz singer Adriana Evans
Adriana Evans
Adriana Evans, is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter. She was born 1974 in San Francisco, California and was one of the first neo soul artists in the 1990's, along with Erykah Badu, D'Angelo and Maxwell...
.
Broadway and theater credits
Mr. Scott has performed in numerous Broadway shows including The WizThe Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
, Her First Roman
Her First Roman
Her First Roman is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Ervin Drake, based on the 1898 George Bernard Shaw play Caesar and Cleopatra.-Original production:...
, I'm Solomon, Hallelujah, Baby!
Hallelujah, Baby!
Hallelujah, Baby! is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a musical chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the [first half of the] 20th century."...
, Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! (musical)
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955....
and Golden Boy
Golden Boy (musical)
Golden Boy is a musical with a book by Clifford Odets and William Gibson, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse.Based on the 1937 play of the same name by Odets, it focuses on Joe Wellington, a young man from Harlem who, despite his family's objections, turns to prizefighting as a means...
. Of his lead role in The Wiz, the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Kamal shines. Kamal is a phenomenon...He could star in anything." Kamal Mr. Scott portrayed Joseph in the debut of the play Black Nativity
Black Nativity
Black Nativity is a retelling of the classic Nativity story with an entirely black cast. Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style, with a few songs created specifically for the show. Originally written by Langston Hughes, the show was first performed on Broadway on December 11, 1961,...
at Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...
in New York City in 1961 and later performed as the Griot in the Penumbra Theatre Company
Penumbra Theatre Company
The Penumbra Theatre Company, an African-American theatre in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was founded by Lou Bellamy in 1976. The theater has been recognized for its artistic quality and its role in launching the careers of playwrights including two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson...
production of the same play in St. Paul Minnesota in 1999.