shirley scott: one for me
Francisco Espregueira
Gilles Peterson’s new label Arc Records presents another lost golden nugget, the imprint’s second reissue. One For Me is Shirley Scott’s deeply personal album, a defiant tribute to the music she always desired to create but was shrouded by the demands of her vibrant career. Originally released on the revolutionary artist-owned label, Strata-East Records, in January 1975, this unique project is now available to enjoy again.
Bringing together a band composed by the “unsung saxophone hero” Harold Vick and legendary drummer Billy Higgins, the “Queen Of The Organ”, as she was called, freely expresses her most deep musical desires without restrictions to deliver the absolute coolness and touching grooves of One For Me. Having lived most of her life in Philadelphia until her death in 2002, Scott had a legendary recording career as a leader with 45 albums mainly released on Impulse and Prestige. Arc Records pays homage to Scott’s invaluable work, reissuing the record she created to please no one but herself. Available on vinyl.
“All of the music recorded in this album is both personal and very purposeful to me, because it is the first step toward honesty about what and how I want to play. I’ve done a lot of other albums, a lot of different ways for a lot of different people and now, with the help of the Creator, in whom all things are possible, I have done one for me too.”