Favorite/Accomplished Male Scat Singers

[cookie]

Again, for my colleague and myself, help me remember more:

LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Mel Torme
Bobby McFerrin
Darmon Meader
Kurt Elling
Mark Murphy

God, I'm comin' up short on this list!! There have got to be more that I just can't drag out of my brain at this point.

Thanks!
(BTW: I used Favorite/Accomplished singers as a title because there are accomplished singers whose music may not be to your or my taste. So even if you don't like a singer personally, it's cool to list them if they have a reputation for improvisation even if they aren't your cup of tea).

[graypencil]

Not being a fan of Mark Murphy for many years, I'd substitute Al Jarreau along with McFerrin

no Jon Hendricks ?

[jazzfiend]

GP, shame on you! Murphy's the king of 'em all, y'all!


Andy Bey
Ian Shaw

[cookie]

GP: I'm not including vocalese people like L,H, and R. I'm sure Jon Hendricks is probably a great scat singer, but all I know is the vocalese stuff.

[cookie]

..and thanks GP and Jazzfiend for your input. GP, I'm with you on Jarreau. I respect 'em all though, even if they're making music that doesn't necessarily appeal to the core of my soul. For instance, I'm just not all that "into" Kurt Elling's "thing" and sometime's Murphy gets a bit too "sonic" for my tastes (I like to hear lines and harmony not whoopin' necessarily. Sometimes he just gets too "noisy" for me I guess. Still, I do respect them for what they're doing (or at least trying to do). I find that I like early Mark Murphy better than late and I can even take Elling in small doses.

Should we include Dizzy Gillespie? Oop papa dah... (sorry Babs)

BTW: following up on the Hendricks thing: has anyone here heard Mr. Hendricks improvise? Can you recommend recordings (not that *I'll* get to it, but perhaps my colleague will then I can borrow hers!) or tell me about it if you heard it live? My suspicion is that he's probably wonderful!!!!!!

[frankiepop]

and Louis Armstrong would be aboot my favorite...

[graypencil]

Seems to me that historically Slim Gaillard might qualify here somehow ..after all, he practically invented a new-o-roonie MacVouty language along the way

also, what about Eddie Jefferson and James Moody ?

[Lois Gilbert]

Clark Terry
Giacomo Gates

and having witnessed personally at Birdland a few month ago when Kurt Elling hosted the vocalese

Jon Hendricks
Andy Bey

Mark Murphy didn't do it for me...

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Dave Lambert's song "What This?" with Buddy Stewart and Gene Krupa from 1945 might be the first bop vocal. And Stewart has some strikingly good cuts with Charlie Ventura.

[cookie]

Seems to me that historically Slim Gaillard might qualify here somehow ..after all, he practically invented a new-o-roonie MacVouty language along the way

also, what about Eddie Jefferson and James Moody ?

Right o roonie!

I think James Moody counts (I love James Moody. On his Sinatra tribute, I love his little bebop fills on "Young at Heart"!), but I don't know if Eddie Jefferson ever sang his *own* solos. All I know is his vocalese stuff and reputation. I love vocalese and it has charms all its own, but it isn't improvisation per se.

[hornplayer]

JOE WILLIAMS! JOE WILLIAMS!! JOE WILLIAMS!!!Can't believe you forgot HIM, Cookie!!!

[Pete C]

Should we include Dizzy Gillespie? Oop papa dah... (sorry Babs)

Maybe, but we should definitely include Joe Carroll, who I actually got to see once, singing with Howard McGhee.

[Mike Schwartz]

Right o roonie!

I think James Moody counts (I love James Moody. On his Sinatra tribute, I love his little bebop fills on "Young at Heart"!), but I don't know if Eddie Jefferson ever sang his *own* solos. All I know is his vocalese stuff and reputation. I love vocalese and it has charms all its own, but it isn't improvisation per se.

Jefferson often did his own and was a scat Matster, beyond the well deserved praise in vocalese...

[hornplayer]

GP, shame on you! Murphy's the king of 'em all, y'all!

not ashamed to say I concur with GP! I find Murphy mannered and prissy. I don't enjoy him at all.

[Valerie]

not ashamed to say I concur with GP! I find Murphy mannered and prissy. I don't enjoy him at all.

unfortunately gone are the days/years when i "enjoyed" him! unfortunately, he's become like a caricature of himself!

[Lazz]

Richard Boone

[iris]

BTW: following up on the Hendricks thing: has anyone here heard Mr. Hendricks improvise? Can you recommend recordings (not that *I'll* get to it, but perhaps my colleague will then I can borrow hers!) or tell me about it if you heard it live? My suspicion is that he's probably wonderful!!!!!![/QUOTE]

....surprised that you have never heard Jon Hendricks scat. He is one of the best and I think has been a significant influence on modern day scat singers. Dave Lambert was also an amazing scat singer. They scat together actually on (if i recall correctly) "everybody's boppin'". it's a rhythm changes. can't remember if that is also the name of the record. Hendricks also does this thing where he improvises in the style of well known bass players...like Ray Brown and Mingus and PC. I bought a two disc set of LH&R a while back...I believe it was a "best of" compilation.

[Pete C]

This is a fabulous album. Julie, do you know it?

[John P. Cooper]

Gotta mention early scatters like Bon Bon (George Tunnell) who sang with Jan Savitt's band, plus Leo Watson who was a 52nd Street regular and recorded with Gene Krupa and with the Spirits of Rhythm.

[cookie]

^ up for my colleague to find more easily.

....and thanks for the ideas and input!

[marc619]

JOE WILLIAMS! JOE WILLIAMS!! JOE WILLIAMS!!!Can't believe you forgot HIM, Cookie!!!

I have to agree with Hornplayer for picking Joe Williams.



Marc
The Art of Scat Singing