Bandleader Cab Calloway exemplified the use of humorous scatting. Humor is another important element of scat singing. 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 which she performed, while Vaughan's mimics that of her accompanying bop-era small combos. The choice of scat syllables can also be used to reflect the sounds of different instruments. 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). Syllable choice influences the pitch articulation, coloration, and resonance of the performance. The deliberate choice of scat syllables is also a key element in vocal jazz improvisation. Will Friedwald has compared Ella Fitzgerald to Chuck Jones directing his Roadrunner cartoon-each uses predetermined formulas in innovative ways. All of Ella Fitzgerald's scat performances of " How High the Moon", for instance, use the same tempo, begin with a chorus of a straight reading of the lyric, move to a "specialty chorus" introducing the scat chorus, and then the scat itself. As well, scatting usually incorporates musical structure. Though scat singing is improvised, the melodic lines are often variations on scale and arpeggio fragments, stock patterns and riffs, as is the case with instrumental improvisers. This is different from vocalese, which uses recognizable lyrics that are sung to pre-existing instrumental solos.Ĭharacteristics Structure and syllable choice In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice solely as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. Originating in vocal jazz, scat singing or scatting is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Ella Fitzgerald is considered to be one of the greatest scat singers in jazz history.
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