Scarlett, Mose

Moseley Stephen Scarlett was a Toronto-based musician who specialized in jazz, blues, ragtime, and swing music from the early 20th century. Scarlett was a known entity in the industry, and frequently collaborated and recorded with musicians such as Jackie Washington, Ken Whiteley, Bruce Cockburn, Marg Stowe, and others.

Scarlett was born in Peterborough, Ontario to an electrical engineer and schoolteacher. At the age of 10 his family moved to Ohio, with Scarlett returning to Canada at the age of 18. Scarlett would marry Anne Tener, with whom he had two daughters, Jessica and Gaelyn. Scarlett and Tener eventually divorced, and Scarlett found a long-time partner in Tina Cohen.

Scarlett routinely played at music events across Canada, and the world. He undertook several tours of the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany, and frequented music festivals such as Summerfolk and Northern Lights. Scarlett died in Toronto on 30 May 2019 of leukemia.

K. Pugh, 1st accrual, 2023.

“Charismatic performer was a keeper of the flame of vintage songs.” The Globe and Mail, 10 June 2019: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-charismatic-performer-was-a-keeper-of-the-flame-of-vintage-songs/

“Mose Scarlett RIP…” Ken Whiteley, 17 June 2019: https://www.kenwhiteley.com/2019/06/17/mose-scarlett-rip/