BLACK MOUNTAIN — Asheville jazz singer extraordinaire Rockell Scott turned The Beatles’ 1965 hit “Yesterday” inside out, taking it beyond rock, beyond jazz into the gospel realm, as she dazzled the crowd during a more-than-two-hour concert Aug. 22 at the White Horse nightclub in the heart of downtown.

Combining poignancy with playfulness, Scott abruptly started her rendition of “Yesterday” midway through the lyrics, wailing, “But did he have to go?... I don’t know... Did I say something wrong? ...Now I long for yesterday....” Afterward, the crowd cheered and gave her sustained applause.

Other highlights of Scott’s show — with one-two punches of vocal pyrotechnics immediately following her deconstruction and reconstruction of “Yesterday” — were rollicking, joyous, perhaps even profound, renditions of two fast-paced jazz classics — “Bye, Bye Blackbird” and “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” As usual, she was at her very best improvising as a scat singer at warp speed, in a style that the late, great Sarah Vaughan made famous. (Scat singing is the use of short syllables to imitate the sound of instruments.)

Scott’s vocal range seems to have no limits — and her obvious and almost ethereal joy while singing makes one wonder if — indeed — heaven is missing an angel.

A final highlight was a moving rendition — halfway through the show — of “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” featuring Scott, 42, singing side-by-side with her daughter, Leeanne, 13. The younger Scott showed great promise with her vocals and stage presence — and the saucy playfulness between the veteran jazz-singer and her unpolished-but-talented daughter was priceless.

Performing solo just before the aforementioned mother-daughter act was Lily Merrill, 11, who sang Louis Armstrong’s classic, “What a Wonderful World” — and she did it her way, albeit looking to Scott, who was playing the piano right next to her and occasionally giving her cues on when to sing. Lily’s performance drew enthused applause from the crowd. She is a cheerleader at her school and the daughter of Doug and Christina Merrill of Fairview.

The show, part of the White Horse’s Cabaret Jazz Series with what was billed as a tribute to women in jazz, drew about 75 people. Scott said she would perform some songs by such female jazz greats as Shirley Horn to Dianne Reeves, among others, as a salute. However, it was not made clear — at least to this critic — which songs, if any, were sung to honor them.

In addition to singing, Scott played piano during the first two-thirds of the show, as part of a quartet that included Andy Page, guitar; Shannon Hoover, bass; and Phillip Bronson, drums.

The show’s singular flaw was the very idea of having Scott sitting behind a piano, with her back at least one-third turned from the audience, during the first set. Admittedly, she is a quite-talented pianist and, to some degree, the instrument appears to serve as a security blanket to her.

However, unquestionably, Scott should be front and center ... and standing and swaying (as she was later in the show), clad in her elegant black dress with black high heels, exuding attitude and allure from a mysterious, romantic era long ago — and electrifying the crowd with her rich vocals, charisma and delightful — and jazz-inspired — body movements, without the distraction of piano-playing and without her back to the crowd. A few bucks needs to be paid for someone else to play the piano, so that the jewel in the crown — Scott — can sparkle as a singer without distraction.

The first set began with “Eagle and Me,” followed by “Look of Love,” “Yesterday,” “Bye, Bye Blackbird,” “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” “Something’s Up” and concluded with the instrumental “Togethering,” featuring mind-bending guitar wizardry by Page.

Following the performances with the youngsters of “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and “What a Wonderful World,” the second set began with Scott on her feet and front and center, singing a dramatic rendition of “Mood Indigo,” with a lengthy — and stellar — solo bass introduction by Hoover. Only Hoover’s bass accompanied Scott throughout the dramatic song. Other second-set highlights included renditions — with Scott simply singing, accompanied by the trio — of “In a Mellow Tone” and “This Is the End of a Beautiful Friendship,” among others.

Scott, who grew up in Brevard, began to play piano and sing gospel songs at age 4, with her mother, Joan M. Bell. She went on to sing at Bethel “A” Baptist Church in Brevard. After high school (in February 1992), Scott entered the United States Air Force as a vocalist for the Air Force Band of Mid-America, stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. During her tour of duty, she performed for thousands of individuals, from the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific Ocean.

Scott was also the featured singer at the 1st Annual Champagne and Diamonds Event: A Night with Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by pianist Pavel Wsolok. Scott has been featured at West Asheville’s Isis Restaurant and Jazz Hall, with Dr. WilliamBares and trio; and with jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut. This past January, Scott was the vocal headliner at the “All That Jazz” Festival at Asheville’s Omni Grove Park Inn, performing with Dr. William Bares and the Outlaws.