The development of scat singing

Definition

Scat singing is used by jazz vocalists as a means of improvisation. Wordless sounds and nonsense syllables are used on melodic and rhythmic ideas are used to create improvised musical phrases. While scatting, vocalists often imitate an instrumental sound. The melodic content used is often based on variations of scales, arpeggios, patterns and riffs, similar to the material used by instrumental improvisers. The choice of syllables is very important when scatting. These can be soft, using light consonants like “f” and “l”, or can be harsher sounding using consonants like “b” and “d”. These consonants are follwed vowels of choice depending on the vocalists decision. The choice of these syllables plays an important role on the sound colour, articulation and resonance of the voice. Different singers are characterised by there choice of syllables. For example, Betty Carter usually used sounds like “louie-ooie-la-la-la” while Sarah Vaughan would use “shoo-doo-shoo-bee-ooo-bee”.The choice of syllables a voicalist uses are also often determined by the instrument they want to imitate. Scat allows the jazz vocalist to escape the lyrics and gives the vocalist the status of a solo instrumentalist, like any other in jazz.

History

It is difficult to say what the origins of scat are. Jazz is a genre which developed as a result of cross-cultural crossings, therefore vocal improvisation in jazz is also a result of the influences of these crossings. Using nonsense syllables in improvised singing occurs in cultures worldwide. For example, in Ireland it is used in lilting,a traditional singing common in Godelic speaking areas, in Germany in yodeling and in Greece and Turkey in amanes. Vocal improvisation is also very important in the african tradition both melodically and rhythmically, using the voice as a pitched percussive instrument. In work songs and field hollers melodic vocal improvisation was already very evident. The idea of scat singing, began in the beggining of the jazz era, in the early 20th century and it is most likely that the most important influence for its development was the imitation of jazz instrumentalists the early 1900 New Orleans.

The first modern recording to feature scatting is considered to be Louis Armstrong’s 1926 recording of “Heebie Jeebies” where it is said that he forgot the lyrics during the recording session and thus improvised using scat. However, there are examples of scatting in recordings prior to this date. Musicians like Gene Greene, Entertainer Al Jolson and Gene Rodemich’s engaged scatting in there performances and recordings prior to the famous recording by Louie Armstrong.^[1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGGZ3zMOUhg&ab_channel=ClassicMoodExperience

Eventhough scatting may appear as nonsense to a listener, it there to move vocal expression towards abstraction and to modes of meaning that are musical rather than verbal, especially when words fail to express the vocalist.^[2]

Important vocal improvisers of the jazz tradition

There have been many pioneering vocal improvisers over the years who have played a crucial role in the development of scat singing. As mentioned above, Louis Armstrong was the one who popularized scat. A soloist that based very much of his solo on the choice of vocables, using playful and unpredictable lines to immite a trumpet-like sound.

Another very important vocalist and improviser of the jazz tradition is Ella Fitzgerald. Her most famous and scat solo is considered to be the one on “How High the Moon,” which established her distinct scat singing. She uses motif-like rythmic and melodic patterns on bouncing syllables begining with ‘b’ and ‘d’.This creates great sense of swing feel. The tone of her voice as a results of the syllables, timbre and lines used, echos that of a saxophone in swing-era big bands with which she performed.

Betty Carter was also a very important vocalist and improvisor. A daring musician always pushing the boundaries of the music she performed throughout her career. Exploring the exetreme phrasing of ballads while also performing speeding-bullet bebop scat numbers. The characteristics that marked her solos where creativity, invntion, great drive and rhythmic agility and exploration. Having a very clear sense of harmony and the chord changes and rythmic feeling she always challenged her rhythm section to respond and interplay with her exploration. The syllables she was inclined to use where soft-tongued sounds like «louie-ooie-la-la-la». Sarah Vaughan’s extrodinary range of three octaves expanded the scat idiom. The combination of her unique scat syllables, inclined to use sounds like «shoo-doo-shoo-bee-ooo-bee», and her extenssive range allowed her to imitate the sounds of the whole band, usually of bop-era small combos. The flexibility of her sound well paired with brass instrumental solos… ^[3]

These are just a few of the pioneering names in jazz vocal improvisation but ofcourse the list goes on. one can not mention Bing Crosby, Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, Anita O’dey, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Eddie Jefferson, Cab Colloway, Carmen Mc’crae, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson etc.

Further Development

Further exploration and development of the traditinal scat took place as jazz evolved in all sorts of directions. During the 1960s free-jazz movement, scat singers started to include sounds in their scat-language that until then would be considered non-musical. These included screams, cries, laughter and exetreme range and timbre. The influence of free jazz and experimental world musicians developing at the time pushed vocal improvisation to a direction of avant-garde art music. Examples of this can be found in the work of Yoko Ono (in her solo work and her work with Ornette Coleman and John Stevens), Jeanne Lee (in her solo work and her work with Archie Shepp and Gunter Hampel), Leon Thomas (in his solo work as well as his work with Pharoah Sanders and Carlos Santana), and Phil Minton and Maggie Nicols (who devoted much of their energy to creating unaccompanied free jazz vocal music). ^[4]

During the same period, there was further exploration in the way vocal improvisation could be used. Ward Swingle took the scat singing idea and applied it to the works of Bach, creating The Swingle Singers. At the same time, scat singing was featured in the Disney movie The Jungle Book (1967) in the song «I Wan’na Be Like You». Influences of scat singing were evident in the development of hip-hop, where artists used scat singing to come up with the rhythms of their raps. ^[5]

In the 1970’s there was a bop revival where there was a renewed interest in bop scat singing.Young scat singers studied the tradition and viewed themselves as a continuation of classic bop. This medium continues to evolve until today.

Further research

Further research can be done looking into how scatting has been intergrated in several genres, like rock, hip hop and various fusion styles. It could be interesting to investigate the way the characteristics of scatting has changed as a result of this intergration. What the differences and the similaries are of the scatting used in these genres to the traditonal jazz scat.

References