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His recording of “Hotter Than That” is another fabulous early example, in which Louis uses his voice to create a spontaneous masterpiece that is full of vibrant personality and rhythmic sophistication. The song became a hit, and Armstrong added the technique to his regular musical arsenal. “I dropped the paper with the lyrics-right in the middle of the tune… And I did not want to stop and spoil the record which was moving along so wonderfully… So when I dropped the paper, I immediately turned back into the horn and started to Scatting… Just as nothing had happened… When I finished the record I just knew the recording people would throw it out… And to my surprise they all came running out of the controlling booth and said-’Leave That In.’ – Louis Armstrong Trumpeter & vocalist Louis Armstrong is generally regarded as the inventor of scat singing in jazz.Īccording to legend, while he was recording “Heebie Jeebies” with his band The Hot Five in 1926, his sheet music fell off the stand during the middle of a take.Īs he couldn’t remember the lyrics, he sang an improvised solo with nonsensical syllables instead of the proper words. If a saxophonist, for example, has a decent understanding of harmony, he or she can press the relevant keys on their instrument to produce a note that they know will fit with the underlying chord.Ī singer cannot do this: they have to use their ears and contextualise the notes they choose in a way that is arguably more challenging.Ĭheck this great concise video with examples from Michael Mwenso and Brianna Thomas as part of Jazz at The Lincoln Centre’s Jazz Academy. Traditionally, in a jazz group, the vocalist sings the melody and accompanying lyrics to the song, before an instrumentalist might play an improvised solo over the tune’s chord sequence.īut by taking a scat solo, the singer is freed from the constraints of the lyrics, and is able to improvise creatively in the way that a saxophonist or trumpeter might. The exact syllables and sounds used will vary with the period and style, but some examples might include:ĭoo, be, shoo, bop, ooh, dee, doo, sha-bam Often credited as being ‘invented’ by Louis Armstrong, scat singing is when a jazz vocalist uses meaningless syllables to take an improvised solo. Kurt Elling – “Nature Boy” from The Messenger.Mark Murphy – “Bebop Lives (Boplicity)” from Bop for Kerouac.Mel Tormé’s – “Lady Be Good” (from a live performance).Louis Prima – “I Wanna Be Like You” from the film The Jungle Book.Anita O’Day – “Them There Eyes” from Anita Sings The Most.
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Ella Fitzgerald – “How High The Moon” from Mack The Knife (Live in Berlin).Chet Baker – “It Could Happen to You” from Chet Baker Sings It Could Happen To You.Sarah Vaughan – “All of Me” from Swingin’ Easy.Dizzy Gillespie – “Oop-Pop-A-Da” from Diz ‘n’ Bird at Carnegie Hall.Louis Armstrong – “Heebie Jeebies” from the Complete Hot Five and Sevens Recordings.Scat Singing Examples | Ten of the best scat solos in jazz.Further development of scat singing in jazz.