Louis Armstrong Talks ...and Scats!

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...next week on R2 to celebrate his forthcoming birthday on 4th August, Paul Sexton writes about his programme here

[MrGongGong]

Interesting stuff
why is it that many people (myself included) find "scat" singing a real turn off when Nusrat Fatah Ali Kahn singing Sargam is compelling listening ?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

well usually because it is awful, but not when Maestro Armstrong does it!

[Ian Thumwood]

There are some singers like Dame Cleo whose resorting to scat is something that I find embarrassing. It does get a really bad reputation but I would agree totally with Calum concerning Armstrong. Gunther Schuller argued convincingly that this style of singing is extremely musical and offered a real alternative to the kind of singing prior to this which was really limited to folk, lieder and opera. It is very much a "black" sound and a challenge to what was acceptable to earlier generations. As well as Armstrong, there are others singers from that generation like George Williams whose work is still very musical in my opinion.

As far as scat or wordless singing, there are singers like Dianne Reeves, Shiela Jordan and Norma Winstone who have developed this technique far beyond the realms of embarrassment with which it is usually associated.

[Serial_Apologist]

I would agree re Norma Winstone' just about agree re Ms Reeves, who scats in a rather stereotypical way, but profoundly DISagree on Sheila Jordan, whose scat singing is always for some reason I just don't get rhythmically straitjacketed... completely unlike the rest of it.

Mr GG - the way to enjoy scat singing is to do it.

S-A

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

in the piece Sexton writes about a tape on which Louis A tells the long dead Jelly R Morton that he Armstrong invented scat and would Mr M please stop going on about it ...

Jon3 reflects on Armstrong's birthday next Monday

R2 prog is on Wednesday

[handsomefortune]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdw8OwnPg24

nusrat satchmo!