Ronnie Scott (1927-1996) “All That Jazz”

Ronnie Scott (1927-1996) “All That Jazz” by Peter Beyfus

During my younger days, in the sixties, I used to enjoy listening to
jazz, both traditional and modern. I was lucky enough to be taken
by my boss, when I worked in London, to Ronnie Scott’s club in
Firth Street, Soho. The club was a magnet for emerging British
musical talent. From its humble beginnings, in 1959, in a basement
in Gerrard Street, to becoming world famous for its artistes and
venue for celebrity, the success of the club says a great deal about
Scott’s entrepreneurial ability and his virtuosity on saxophone.

Ronnie Scott, born Ronald Schatt, was of mixed Ashkenazi and
Sephardi origin; his father, Joseph, was of Russian descent, while
his mother’s family were members of the Portuguese synagogue,
close to Bevis Marks. His father left the family when Ronnie was
four. He was brought up by his mother and grandmother. His
mother Sylvia remarried, and it was Ronnie’s stepfather, Solomon
Berger, who recognised his musical ability and gave him his first
tenor saxophone. By the age of sixteen Ronnie was an
accomplished saxophonist and took lessons from among others
Jack Lewis and Harry Gold.

As his reputation grew, Scott became in demand by the big band
leaders of the day; Ted Heath, Jack Parnell and Johnny Dankworth,
all signed him up as a leading saxophonist. It was only a matter of
time before he decided to form his own group in 1953, often
referred to as the Ronnie Scott Orchestra. He led this group for
three years, making a significant contribution to British modern jazz.
He is regarded by many devotees of jazz as one of the finest white
saxophonists of his generation, but despite that accolade Scott
wanted to go to the home of jazz, where African Americans had
pioneered and defined the genre; these were the musicians who
excelled in virtuoso performance. It was not surprising Scott wanted
to meet some of the finest players in the business. His opportunity
came when he joined other musicians on the liner ‘Queen Mary’ on
her transatlantic trips from 1946 until 1950. In New York he fell in
love with Bebop, a fast-paced, highly complex style of jazz that was
developed in the 1940s.

The intricate melodies and intense improvisation appealed to Scott; the influence of Charlie Parker and
Dizzy Gillespie became central in shaping his style.
When he returned to London, Scott put together a five-piece band,
known as the Jazz Couriers, with Tubby Hayes. Having opened his
much larger club in Frith Street in 1965, Scott attracted some of the
finest jazz musicians of the day. The names read like a galaxy of
stars: Zoot Sims, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Ella Fitzgerald,
Charlie Parker, Cleo Lane, Van Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. It was
the unique collaboration with his partner, Pete King, that made the
club such a success. Scott was actively involved to promoting the
club, inviting artistes to appear, while King, another saxophonist,
gave up playing to run the club and did so for many years after
Ronnie Scott died.

Since the 1920s Soho had been associated with criminality, with
gangsters carving out their respective turfs! It is no great revelation
that some high profile villains, the Kray brothers, for instance,
frequented clubs like Scott’s. Ronnie would be the perfect host,
cracking jokes and introducing the latest act. Among the celebrities
who went to his club were Terry Thomas, Peter O’Toole, The
Beatles, the actor John Le Mesurier, himself an accomplished jazz
pianist, and Spike Milligan, an award-winning jazz trumpeter and
all-round musician. Ronnie was awarded an OBE in 1981 for
services to music.

Ronnie Scott never married but did have long-term relationships,
resulting in two children; a son Nicholas by Ilsa Fox, and a daughter
Rebecca by Mary Hulin. Scott was an all-round entertainer, a
raconteur, outstanding musician and bon vivre. As is so often the
case, such talented people as Scott, are not immune from what
afflicts many of us: depression. It is possible Scott had to come to
terms with his declining ability to play saxophone. Dental health
problems compromised his fluency; and this is something not
uncommon among woodwind instrumentalists. The intense long-
term pressure exerted by the mouthpieces against teeth and lips, a
condition known as “embouchure-related stress, often cuts short a
promising career. Scott took drastic measures to partially overcome
the problem by having all his teeth extracted and a plate fitted so he
could continue playing.

There was some controversy surrounding his death from barbiturate poisoning in 1996. Speculation that Scott
had committed suicide was dismissed by the coroner, ruling Ronnie
had died from an “incautious overdose”, with a verdict of
misadventure.

Scott died aged sixty-nine, and his passing was deeply mourned by
his jazz fans and those who simply enjoyed the ambience of his
club. He was cremated at Hoop Lane Crematorium and a memorial
service was held at St Martin-in-the- Fields in 1997, attended by
many celebrities from the world of entertainment.

Peter Beyfus