Rapp on Jazz: Scat singing

Published June 27, 2025 at 6:07 AM EDT

Louis Armstrong sings during an informal rehearsal at the Newport Jazz Festival July 10, 1970. With Armstrong (left to right) are Tyree Glenn(unseen) on slide trombone, Jack Lesberg on bass and Dave McKenna on piano. (AP Photo/J. Walter Green)

TRANSCRIPT:

I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.

Scat singing is one of jazz’s most joyful expressions

The term scat is vocal improvisation where singers use nonsense syllables instead of lyrics, turning their voice into an instrument. It’s all about rhythm, melody, and spontaneous creativity. Think “shooby-doo-bop” and “dee-ba-da”—sounds that don’t mean a thing, but sure, swing!

Scat took flight in the 1920s when Louis Armstrong famously forgot the lyrics mid-recording and filled the gap with playful, rhythmic syllables—accident or innovation, it stuck. Then came Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, who elevated scat to high art with breathtaking vocal runs and razor-sharp timing.

Scat singing is fearless, fun, and purely jazz—no script, just soul. It invites the audience into a moment of real-time musical invention.

This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.