Scarlett, Mose

“Mose Scarlett specialized in songs from bygone eras – jazz, blues, ragtime and swing – and always dressed the part, neatly turned out in a three-piece suit and fedora or, more informally, a waistcoat and workingman’s flat cap. Within Canadian music, he was an anachronism, a performer cheerfully out of step with the times. But that was also a big part of his charm. Blessed with a deep, resonant singing voice and a self-taught, fingerpicking guitar style often described as stride, Mr. Scarlett was similarly old-fashioned in his personal demeanour. Bruce Cockburn, who met him in 1969 when he and his then future wife, Kitty, stayed at Mr. Scarlett’s apartment in Toronto’s east end, recalls being impressed with his honesty and generosity. [...] Throughout his career, Mr. Scarlett often performed with musical partners, including initially his first wife, Anne Tener, with whom he had two daughters. In the 1970s, he played coffee houses like Toronto’s Nervous Breakdown, Fiddler’s Green, the Groaning Board and the Riverboat with harmonica player Jim McLean. And he became a mainstay of folk festivals like Owen Sound’s Summerfolk and Sudbury’s Northern Lights. His 1981 debut album, featuring six original songs, was followed by The Fundamental Things in 1995 and 2002’s Precious Seconds, which includes collaborations with guitarists Amos Garrett, Colin Linden, Jeff Healey and David Wilcox, among others.” https://tma149.ca/portfolio-item/mose-scarlett/

2023/07/17 KCP, A. Mathew. Created.