Kim Scott
Kim Scott Strickland (born in Birmingham) is a jazz flutist, radio host, and head of the music department at the Alabama School of the Fine Arts.
Scott is the daughter of Albert Felder and Belinda Floyd, both musicians; and grew up in the South Hampton community of Birmingham's North Pratt neighborhood. She took to the flute early on and played in the band at Phillips High School before transferring to the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
Scott earned a music scholarship to the University of Alabama and went on to complete a master's degree at Oklahoma State University. She expected to apply for openings in professional orchestras, but instead accepted an invitation to teach at her alma mater, later joining the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra.
Scott began performing as a jazz musician in 2010, originally touring with Keith Williams. With production assistance from Kelvin Wooten she released her first album in 2011. Since then she has performed at numerous festivals, including the 2015 Steel City Jazz Festival. She also performed with the all-female group "Jazz in Pink", and hosts the syndicated "Block Party Radio Show" which airs on several southeastern jazz stations, including WVSU-FM in Birmingham.
In 2016 Scott signed with Innervision Records, which issued her third and fourth albums. Her single, "Emerge", co-written with Swedish pianist Jonathan Fritzen, reached #1 on Billboard magazine's "Smooth Jazz" chart. She returned to the top of the chart in 2021 with a cover of Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford's "I'm Every Woman" on which she was joined by fellow flutists Ragan Whiteside and Athea Renee.
In December 2021 Smooth Jazz Network's BEATS magazine named Scott its "Breakout Artist of the Year".
Recordings
- Kim Scott (2011) "Crossing Over"
- Kim Scott (May 2013) "Rite of Passage"
- Kim Scott (September 2016) "Southern Heat". Innervision Records
- Kim Scott (July 2019) "Free to Be". Innervision Records
- Kim Scott (2022) "SHINE!". Innervision Records
References
- Franklin, Art (June 7, 2019) "Birmingham school teacher tops Billboard Smooth Jazz chart." CBS42.com
- Debro, Anita (July 25, 2019) "Kim Scott: From Birmingham to Top of Billboard Charts." The Birmingham Times