“Her voice moves seamlessly between influences, holding a masterfully controlled vibrato on one phrase before dipping into a bluesy purr on the next.”
- Jennifer Odell, Downbeat Magazine
“She has the serious jazz chops that enable her to improvise on a dime on whatever chord changes are thrown her way… the highest praise of all, she really doesn't sound like anyone else.”
- Tom McDermott, Offbeat Magazine, HBO's Treme
“With her lovely voice and presence, she radiates the joy of making music. Go hear her!”
- Karrin Allyson, Jazz Vocalist and four-time Grammy Nominee
BIOGRAPHY
Cindy Scott is a passionate, risk-taking heart-singer who isn’t afraid to reveal her emotions in song. Cindy has walked a different path from the average jazz singer. Born and raised in a house full of music and musicians, she chose flute as her first instrument and went to LSU on a music scholarship. Uncertain about life as a professional musician but positive she wanted to travel the world, Cindy got an MBA, learned to speak German and Spanish, and spent several years living and working abroad. During one of these stints she discovered jazz and began singing in the jazz cellars of Germany with local musicians.
Cindy eventually found herself in Houston climbing the corporate ladder by day and playing jazz clubs by night. In 2005, she traded a successful business career for a life devoted to music and moved to New Orleans just months before Hurricane Katrina hit. She decided to return and complete her Masters in Music (Jazz Studies) from the University of New Orleans, a program founded by famed educator Ellis Marsalis and now led by guitar icon Steve Masakowski. She is now firmly rooted in the rich and diverse music scene of the Crescent City.
Cindy has found a happy marriage between her straight-ahead roots and the musical gumbo that pervades New Orleans. She always sings music she connects with, whether jazz standards, unexpected genre-bending choices, or her own originals. Her last CD, Let the Devil Take Tomorrow, was voted New Orleans’ Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, a huge honor in a field that included projects by Christian Scott and Donald Harrison. The recording was also listed in Offbeat Magazine’s top 40 Louisiana releases in all genres.
Cindy's most recent studio recording is entitled Historia. Her amazing band includes pianist Randy Porter, bassist Dan Loomis, drummer Jamison Ross, along with Brian Seeger on guitar, Evan Christopher on clarinet, and Shannon Powell on tambourine. Four-time GRAMMY nominee jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson makes a special appearance on two tracks, as well. The recording, which is a blend of jazz standards and Cindy's original songwriting, pays homage to her deep musical roots, the lessons she learned from her family, and the discoveries she's made along the way throughout her own life. In his review of Historia, C. Michael Bailey (All About Jazz) says Scott's new CD is "all that jazz is."
Cindy has a new CD in the works which has lots of original content as well as carefully curated material about affirmation, healing and social justice. Look for it to be released sometime in 2020.
Cindy is a full-time Associate Professor in the Voice Depeartment at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She teaches all manner of singing-related things and is a Somatic Voicework (TM) specialist. Her recent teaching residences have included the Berklee Vocal Summit, Mining for Magic - New Orleans (www.miningformagic.com), the Colorado Roots Music Camp, and the Hot House Music School in Derby, UK.