# Please recommend me some jazzy songs - scat and swing especially! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841 "2003-10-27T15:11:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/1 "2003-10-27T15:11:43Z")
What the title says (and no poo jokes please!) šŸ˜› Iā€™m very new to jazz - I donā€™t even know if the above sort of songs are jazz at all. Iā€™d love to start a CD collection because Iā€™ve noticed a lot of my favourite songs have the same sort of style to them, but I have no idea where to start. The swing songs I like are the big band, swing dancing-type ones like _Sing Sing Sing_ and upbeat versions of _Diamonds Are A Girlā€™s Best Friend_. If anyone could recommend me some songs and CDs along those lines Iā€™d be grateful. Also does anyone have recommendations for songs with great examples of scat? Iā€™ve heard it in a couple of modern songs and really liked the sound of it, but I donā€™t have the faintest idea where to begin - and Iā€™m too scared to search for ā€œscatā€ on the internet. Additionally, what category of jazz do songs like _Almost Like Being In Love_ (Nat King Cole, Sinatra, etc) belong to? Theyā€™re sort of ballady but swingy and they just make you want to get up and dance. Thanks for any help! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/2 "2003-10-27T15:40:01Z")
The pure ā€œjazz songā€ may not even exist. Songs that have a jazz feel even when done ā€œstraightā€ fall into the category that used to be called ā€œpopā€ before ā€œpopā€ came to mean mostly ā€œrock.ā€ Having said that, ā€œjazz songsā€ include things like: Round Midnight Hereā€™s That Rainy Day When Sunny Gets Blue I Got Rhythm How High The Moon Misty Autumn Leaves When The Sun Comes Out Since I Fell For You Sweet Georgia Brown Georgia On My Mind Stardust Blues In The Night Early Autumn I could go on, but the ones listed are just the first ones I thought of. Are any of these in the category youā€™re thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/3 "2003-10-27T15:43:13Z")
May I direct you to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=219329)? There are lots and lots of links to early pop and jazz sites. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/4 "2003-10-27T15:49:02Z")
Iā€™ve heard of a couple of those songs, but _Misty_ is the only one that Iā€™ve actually listened to. Itā€™s a little more ballady and slower-paced than what I normally like - of Ella Fitzgeraldā€™s songs I prefer things like _Dream a Little Dream of Me_, _Cheek to Cheek_, _Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas_, etc. Does that help at all? šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/5 "2003-10-27T15:58:39Z")
Thanks for the link, **Eve** - Iā€™ll be sure to download some songs as soon as I can - Iā€™m pushing my limit a bit this month, I 'm afraid! I have no idea how we go through 3 gigs of downloads a month. _scratches head_ ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/6 "2003-10-27T16:09:01Z")
I think Ella Fitzgeraldā€™s the gal for you: she was a master of both swing and scat. There are a million great Ella albums out there, but this compilation is as good a place to start as any: > **[AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands](https://www.allmusic.com/?p=amg&sql=A0t9sa9lgy23s&uid=CASS805131125)** > > AllMusic provides comprehensive music info including reviews and biographies. Get recommendations for new music to listen to, stream or own. This was put together from the Songbooks that Ella did for various songwriters, all of which are great (but expensive.) ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/7 "2003-10-27T16:10:58Z")
I think the quintessential example of scat has got to be Ella Fitzgerald scatting to Benny Goodmanā€™s Air Mail Special. You may also want to check out Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross. For great Big Band swing with great vocals, Iā€™d suggest Anita Oā€™Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May (also check out her work with Oscar Peterson on Anita Oā€™Day Sings the Most). Of all jazz vocalists, I think Anitaā€™s phrasing is the most swinginā€™est. Unfortunately, the bulk of Ellaā€™s studio work was with Nelson Riddle which I just donā€™t think was a great match. I have zero doubt you will love ā€œElla and Basieā€: [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000047G4/103-9863166-4715066?v=glance](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000047G4/103-9863166-4715066?v=glance) ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/8 "2003-10-27T16:14:15Z")
Listen to the first few bars of Honeysuckle Rose on that amazon site and tell me thatā€™s not what youā€™re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/9 "2003-10-27T16:30:39Z")
When Ella scatted to Air Mail Special, it was called Good Enough to Keep. Itā€™s old and itā€™s live but itā€™s a classic. Listen here: [http://www.vitaminic.com/cgi-php/src\_eng.php3?text=good+enough+to+keep&what=ALL&where=ALL&go.x=0&go.y=0](http://www.vitaminic.com/cgi-php/src_eng.php3?text=good+enough+to+keep&what=ALL&where=ALL&go.x=0&go.y=0) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/10 "2003-10-27T16:30:52Z")
I must recommend Cab Calloway to the OP. Try your local libraryā€™s CD collection. Mine has a box set chronicling the manā€™s career. Some real gems in there! ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/11 "2003-10-27T16:32:47Z")
I neglected to add that Cab Calloway does plenty of scat singing. He even has a piece entitled ā€œThe Scat Songā€. Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/12 "2003-10-27T16:39:29Z")
Betty. Carter. ---
**Author:** ![DaToad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@DaToad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaToad)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/13 "2003-10-27T17:39:16Z")
I agree with **BwanaBob**. Cab is tops. You might need to crank up the old turn table and spin some vinyl to get the really good stuff. For some blowinā€™ and goinā€™ swing, check out Woody Hermanā€™s Bijou album and Charlie Barnettā€™s Cherokee album. Also hard to beat Lionel Hampton doing Flying Home or A Train. Some others you might like: Count Basie, Bob Crosby and the Bob Cats, and for fun, Louis Prima. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/14 "2003-10-27T17:48:41Z")
If youā€™re interested in swing, check out Duke Ellington, the Dorsey Brothers, the Glen Miller Orchestra, the Benny Goodman Orchestra, the Dorsey Brothers, and Count Basie. Itā€™s some of the best music recorded. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-me-some-jazzy-songs-scat-and-swing-especially/209841/15 "2003-10-28T04:35:04Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I only have 10 more days of study and then I have months and months to devote to lazing around and listening to music. šŸ˜ƒ Iā€™ve already got most of your suggestions on my eBay watch list, and Iā€™ve got a trip to the CD store planned for very first day Iā€™m free. **KidCharlemagne** I listened to Honeysuckle Rose and from the moment it started I had a huge grin on my face. Thatā€™s exactly the sort of stuff I love! Once again, thanks so much everyone!