Who originated "Scat Singing" in Vocal Jazz? What is it?

Okay, no problem. That's a really interesting question, a fascinating topic in jazz.

Who started "Scat Singing" in "Vocal Jazz," and what exactly is it?

Now this hits the spot! When it comes to Scat Singing, the pioneer and popularizer widely recognized within the jazz community is none other than the legendary Louis Armstrong (Satchmo).

Although there might have been occasional, similar vocalizations before him, the one who truly turned it into a standard jazz technique and introduced it to the world was absolutely the King of Jazz.

A "Happy Accident": The Birth of Scat Singing

There's a classic "legend" about Scat Singing's origin involving Armstrong himself.

It was 1926, and Armstrong and his Hot Five were recording a song called "Heebie Jeebies." Midway through the session, story has it that Armstrong's lyric sheet accidentally fell to the floor. Back then, recording was expensive and cumbersome; stopping to re-record would cause a huge waste.

In the heat of the moment, Armstrong had a flash of inspiration. Instead of stopping, he improvised into the microphone, singing a series of meaningless but rhythmic and melodic syllables like "Eef, gaff, dee-bo, da-bop-doo-day!" He used his voice to mimic the sound of a trumpet, perfectly filling the gap where the lyrics were missing.

The result? The producer thought it sounded amazing! "Heebie Jeebies" became a huge hit upon release, and this novel "wordless singing" style took off. Everyone started imitating it, and Scat Singing officially stepped onto the jazz stage.

So what exactly is "Scat Singing"??

Put as simply as possible, Scat Singing is using the voice like an instrument to "play" music.

Think of a saxophonist or trumpeter in the band during their solo section – they improvise an elaborate melody based on the song's chords and rhythm. Scat Singing is the vocalist doing the exact same thing, only their "instrument" is their own voice.

Its key characteristics are:

No Lyrics: Singers use nonsensical syllables like "doo-be-doo-bop," "shoo-bee-doo-wah," "bop," "bam" to create melodies. This frees them completely from the constraints of meaning, letting them focus purely on the music.
Improvisation: It's absolutely not pre-planned or memorized. A skilled jazz vocalist, like an instrumentalist, can spontaneously improvise a brilliant solo on the spot, responding to the band's accompaniment. This requires immense musicality, harmonic knowledge, and quick reflexes.
Instrumental Mimicry: Vocalists often use their voice to imitate instruments – the brightness of a trumpet, the smoothness of a saxophone, or the pluck of a bass. Their voice soars high, dips low, full of rhythmic drive and dynamic variation.

So, when you hear a jazz singer suddenly stop singing words and launch into a "bada bebop dee-da-doo" that sounds incredibly cool and blends perfectly with the background music, it's almost certainly Scat Singing.

Who mastered it besides Armstrong?

Armstrong was the pioneer, but others took the art form to its heights. To truly experience the charm of Scat Singing, you have to listen to these masters:

Ella Fitzgerald: Universally known as the "Queen of Scat." Her skill was unparalleled, with a wide range and pure tone. Her improvised melodies and rhythms were exceptionally precise and brilliant – textbook examples.
Sarah Vaughan: Her voice was incredibly dramatic. Her scatting combined stunning technique with deep emotion.
Dizzy Gillespie: Primarily a top trumpeter and a key founder of Bebop jazz. When he sang scat, it was like playing trumpet with his mouth – rhythmically complex, fast, and bursting with the energy of Bebop.

In summary, Scat Singing is the jazz vocal technique pioneered by Louis Armstrong in which the voice is used to improvise solos using nonsensical syllables. It's the most direct vocal expression of jazz's spirit of freedom and improvisation.