Tom Scott -

Tom Scott is an American jazz-funk saxophonist who emerged as a teen prodigy with the 1967–68 ABC–Impulse! titles The Honeysuckle Breeze and Rural Still Life. In the 1970s, he scored themes to the TV dramas Starsky & Hutch and The Streets of San Francisco. He did session work for numerous acts (Billie Preston, Joni Mitchell, Lalo Schifrin, Van Dyke Parks) and joined L.A. Express for their 1974–75 albums Tom Scott and the L.A. Express and Tom Cat.

Background

Scott was born on May 19, 1948, in Los Angeles; the son of film and television composer Nathan Scott (1915–2010), who wrote numerous TV themes (Lassie, The Twilight Zone, Dragnet) and soundtrack scores (Angel on the Amazon, Wake of the Red Witch, The Golden Stallion).

As a teenager, Tom Scott played in a rock band (Men of Note) and led a jazz combo (Neoteric Trio). At fifteen, he earned his earliest commercial credit on the July 1963 Liberty release Surf City (and Other Swingin’ Cities), the third album by the surf-pop duo Jan & Dean.

In 1966, Scott backed blues harpist Don Crawford on his eponymous album for Verve Folkways and joined the Don Ellis Orchestra for the Pacific Jazz titles Live In 3⅔/4 Time and ‘Live’ At Monterey!

Discography:

Rural Still Life (1968)
The Honeysuckle Breeze (1968 • Tom Scott & The California Dreamers)
Light My Fire (1968 • Bob Thiele and His New Happy Times Orchestra / Gabor Szabo With The California Dreamers and Tom Scott & Bill Plummer)
Hair to Jazz (1969)
Paint Your Wagon (1970 • Tom Scott Quartet)
Great Scott! (1972)
Tom Scott and the L.A. Express (1974 • Tom Scott and the L.A. Express)
Tom Cat (1975 • Tom Scott & the L.A. Express)
New York Connection (1975)
Blow It Out (1977)
Intimate Strangers (1978)
Alivemutherforya (1978 • Billy Cobham, Steve Khan, Alphonso Johnson & Tom Scott)
Foundations (1979)
Street Beat (1979)
Apple Juice (1981)
Desire (1982)
Target (1983)
One Night/One Day (1986)
Streamlines (1987)
Flashpoint (1988)
Them Changes (1990)
Keep This Love Alive (1991)