When Lisa Kelly hired JB Scott in 1997 to play in her quintet at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, she had no idea their musical road would make them established artists, collaborators, and husband and wife.
Kelly, known for her silky-smooth delivery, and ‘horn-like’ approach to scatting, sings jazz stylings that echo the greats, from Ella Fitzgerald to Dianne Reeves. With a Bachelor’s of Music and a Masters Degree in music jazz degrees from the University of North Florida, she’s an eight-time Downbeat Magazine award winner. Her commitment to jazz education is evident as she mentors aspiring vocalists and players across the globe. As the founder and former host of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival’s official jam session for twenty years, Kelly now directs the annual Swingin’ Summer Jazz Camp she also founded.
JB Scott, a Warburton Signature Trumpet Artist, plays with a style reminiscent of legendary trumpet innovators, combining the playful, soulful sass of Louis Armstrong and Clark Terry, with the fiery harmonic bebop lines of Freddy Hubbard. Mentored by famed Latin Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval, Scott led the famous Dukes of Dixieland on Bourbon Street and Carnegie Hall, toured with the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Japan, and played with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Now in his twenty seventh year as jazz trumpet professor at UNF, he shares his experience as the Coordinator of Jazz Studies, Director of the renowned UNF JE 1 Big Band, and the Great American Jazz Series
Performances have taken this duo from regional venues to worldwide jazz clubs, concert halls, and major events including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Pescara Jazz Festival and other national and international stages.
Kelly loves to entertain in smaller, intimate settings and said a steady addition to their calendar for the past several years has been their “Jazz Happy Hour” performances at retirement communities. “Residents really enjoy reminiscing and singing along to our repertoire of musical selections. It takes them to a special place and evokes fond memories of their lives,” says Kelly. Learn more about Kelly/Scott Music at KellyScottMusic.com, or call/text: 904.703.8687.
