Raymond Scott

Today we have a guest recommendation from Ben Naddaff-Hafrey, host of the history podcast The Last Archive. Season four premieres today with an audio biography of Raymond Scott, which you can listen to here.

Good morning.

Raymond Scott was one of the most famous musical figures of the 20th century, but he died in 1994 poor and nearly forgotten. In the 1930s, he composed jazz novelties, and in the 1940s he led popular big bands. He was also an engineer. Unbeknownst to his fans, Scott used the money from his hit songs to invent all kinds of musical machines, including his white whale: the Electronium, a songwriting machine. He signed a deal with Motown Records to build that machine for them in secret. Along the way, he created a slew of beautiful and strange early electronic compositions, which have been collected and re-released by his archivists over the past quarter century. Today, we’re listening to an early ambient classic called Soothing Sounds for Baby, and the influential early aughts compilation Manhattan Research, Inc. Scott’s life and music tell a history of automation in the 20th century, from player pianos to the first glimmers of ChatGPT. If you want to know more check out the episode “Player Piano,” out today.

Soothing Sounds for Baby - Raymond Scott (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Manhattan Research, Inc. - Raymond Scott (110m, some vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Have a really nice Thursday.