Biography

Arthur Budd Scott (January 11, 1890 – July 2, 1949) was an American jazz guitarist, banjoist and singer. He was one of the earliest musicians associated with the New Orleans jazz scene. As a violinist he performed with James Reese Europe's Clef Club Orchestra at a historic 1912 concert at Carnegie Hall, and the following year worked with Europe's ensemble on the first jazz recordings on the Victor label. A graduate of the Peabody School of Music, Scott was a notable rhythm guitarist in Chicago's Jazz Age nightclubs of the 1920s. After performing and recording with Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra in 1928 he moved to California. He was able to make a living as a professional musician through the 1930s, when traditional jazz was eclipsed by big-band swing music, and formed his own trio. In 1944 Scott joined an all-star combination that evolved into Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, an important force in reviving interest in New Orleans-style jazz in the 1940s, and he wrote the majority of the band's arrangements.