KNOEL SCOTT

Interview by Alexander McLean
(December 2015)

You may not know Knoel Scott but you'll want to. He was part of an epic jazz dynasty that was the Arkestra, Sun Ra's celestial musical machine, in the '70's and '80's, just after KS had finished an impressive academic career. In the '80's, Scott worked with Ola Daru and Jack McDuff among others. After a stint in the Harlem Club scene, Scott was recruited back by Ra, assisting the master himself and band leader/sax-man Marshall Allen. As of late, he's been active in the Philadelphia music scene as well as still touring where he met up with writer Alexander McLean recently at at his studio club in London on September 21st for these series of video interviews below (totally 40 minutes) where he speaks about his work with Ra, the Harlem All-Stars, his BeBop and Beyond project, the creative process and the late, one of a kind singer Leon Thomas. At the end, you even get to see some of the show and hear Scott work some of his aural magic.