Hazel Scott was a born improviser, driven to break the rules. A musical prodigy, jazz sensation and television pioneer and civil rights activist, she was born in Trinidad in 1920, and moved to New York into the heart of the Harlem Renaissance. Her piano playing was so impressive that a Juilliard professor agreed to teach Scott when she was 8. Before she was out of her teens she had performed at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, and was a regular on stage at Café Society, the downtown nightclub

Remembering Hazel Scott, born 102 years ago in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Here she is performing "Takin' a Chance" in 1943. | Dust-to-Digital

#HazelScott plays two grand pianos in 1943. #Brilliance #Genius #Excellence #repost @smartfunnyandblack Hazel Scott was a Trinidadian-born jazz and classical pianist, singer, and actor. She was a critically acclaimed performing artist and an outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation. She used her influence to improve the representation of Black Americans in film. #Wikipedia | Blair Underwood

77K views · 3.8K reactions | Hazel Scott's incredible talent | Pianoforte | Facebook

At just 15 years old, Hazel Scott started “jazzing” or “swinging” the classics, playing songs at an up-tempo and with improvisation, displaying her mastery of the piano. "The Disappearance of Miss Scott” premieres Feb 21 at 9/8c on PBS. | American Masters