Scat singing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ella Fitzgerald is generally considered to be one of the greatest scat singers i
n jazz history.[1]
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonse
nse syllables or without words at all. Scat singing is a difficult technique tha
t requires singers with the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms usin
g the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium.
Contents
1 Characteristics
1.1 Structure and syllable choice
1.2 Humor
2 History
2.1 Origins
2.2 Later development
2.3 Use in hip-hop
3 Music historical explanations
4 Critical assessment
5 Notes
6 See also
7 References
8 Works cited
9 External links
Characteristics
Structure and syllable choice
Though scat singing is improvised, the melodic lines are often variations on sca
le and arpeggio fragments, stock patterns and riffs, as is the case with instrum
ental improvisers. As well, scatting usually incorporates musical structure. All
of Ella Fitzgerald's scat performances of "How High the Moon", for instance, us
e the same tempo, begin with a chorus of a straight reading of the lyric, move t
o a "specialty chorus" introducing the scat chorus, and then the scat itself.[2]
Will Friedwald has compared Ella Fitzgerald to Chuck Jones directing his Roadru
nner cartoon each uses predetermined formulas in innovative ways.[2]
The deliberate choice of scat syllables also is a key element in vocal jazz impr
ovisation. Syllable choice influences the pitch articulation, coloration, and re
sonance of the performance.[3] Syllable choice also differentiated jazz singers'
personal styles: Betty Carter was inclined to use sounds like "louie-ooie-la-la
-la" (soft-tongued sounds or liquids) while Sarah Vaughan would prefer "shoo-doo
-shoo-bee-ooo-bee" (fricatives, plosives, and open vowels).[4] The choice of sca
t syllables can also be used to reflect the sounds of different instruments. The
comparison of the scatting styles of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan reveals
that Fitzgerald's improvisation mimics the sounds of swing-era big bands with wh
ich she performed, while Vaughan's mimics that of her accompanying bop-era small
combos.[5][a]
Humor
Humor is another important element of scat singing. Cab Calloway exemplified the
use of humorous scatting.[6] Other classic examples of humorous scatting includ
e Slim Gaillard, Leo Watson, and Bam Brown's 1945 "Avocado Seed Soup Symphony,"
in which the singers scat variations on the word "avocado" for much of the recor
ding.[7] In addition to such nonsensical uses of language, humor is communicated
in scat singing through the use of musical quotation. Leo Watson, who performed
before the canon of American popular music, frequently drew on nursery rhymes i
n his scatting. This is called using a compression.[8] Ella Fitzgerald, who perf
ormed later, was able to draw extensively on popular music in her singing. For e
xample, in her classic 1960 recording of "How High the Moon" live in Berlin, she
quotes over a dozen songs, including "The Peanut Vendor", "Heat Wave", "A-Tiske
t, A-Tasket", and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes".[9]
The scat-style lyrics of the song "Solar Prestige A Gammon," written by Bernie T
aupin with music by Elton John and released on the latter's album Caribou in 197
4, include the names of many varieties of fish. However, since the lyrics were w
ritten and not improvised during a performance, they are not a true example of s
cat improvisation.
