RHODA SCOTT

BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH / APRIL 5

Back in the 1960s, organist and singer Rhoda Scott led a popular soul-jazz trio on the jazz club circuit in New Jersey and New York. Unlike most jazz organists, who were first pianists who adopted the Hammond B3 organ, Rhoda only played the organ, even studying it at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. In 1967, she moved to France and never looked back, becoming a major star on the French and European jazz circuit known as “L’organiste aux pied nus” or “The Barefoot Lady,” since she played the B3 pedals without shoes. She also pursued a parallel career in France leading and performing on pipe organs with church choirs. Her latest album is 2021’s Lady All Stars (Framboise), featuring an all-female jazz band. She now divides her time between Europe and New Jersey. This event is a jazz vespers at the Newark church, beginning at 6 p.m. Rhoda returns to Bethany again on April 25. GK