When you think of Jazz flute you may immediately think of Hubert Laws, Yusef Lateef and Bobbi Humphrey, who each made the flute popular within the Jazz world. Today the flute has three of Jazz’s hottest artists in Kim Scott, Ragan Whiteside and Athea Renee each scoring high on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Charts. In fact, as of this writing, Ragan’s latest single which is still climbing the charts is her 7th straight Top 10. So can you imagine them together on one classic song? Well that’s what you get as Kim Scott called upon her fellow sisters of the flute to create a Jazz version of the women's anthem of all time, I'm Every Woman. Written by Valerie Simpson with her late husband, Nick Ashford, I’m Every Woman became a career defining performance for Chaka Khan. Then Whitney Houston put her mark on the song taking it to an even wider audience. Now 43 years after its initial release, you have a Jazz version by Kim Scott featuring Althea Renee & Ragan Whiteside, which takes this classic song to yet another level and audience. If you are familiar with these 3 artists, you can hear their distinct sound with this “not easy to play” instrument. You’ll be smooth grooving to I’m Every Woman as you listen to Midday Jazz with Rivablue or Jazz at Sundown with Debb Moore on Atlanta’s Jazz Station 91.9 WCLK.
David C. Linton is Jazz 91.9 WCLK Program Director.
