Vocalists singing instrument parts

[Neil]

How common is this, then, and can anyone provide some other good examples?  I recall LFBarfe playing an Ella Fitzgerald number where she sings a Charlie Parker solo, and I found a rather nice Anita O'Day clip on YouTube tonight with her playing the part of one of the saxophones in Four Brothers.  Is there a name for this too?  Scatting doesn't seem appropriate.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FQiFvTK-kNI

http://[noembed]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mdHMAzN2Hxk[/noembed]

[Lfbarfe]

It's called vocalese. Jon Hendricks took it furthest, by writing lyrics to the solos, such as on the Manhattan Transfer version of the same tune that Anita got stuck into.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-01ZhFPZKk[/youtube].

[sparklewhore]

Not quite the same thing but I love the way that Robert Wyatt uses his voice in a trumpet type way on certain tracks of his. 

[Goldentony]

SHOOBY TAYLOR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm7SKIlyNuU

[DJ One Record]

What about Minnie Ripperton circa Rotary Connection? On tracks like "Memory Band" and "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" she practically becomes a human theremin.

[Neil]

SHOOBY TAYLOR

Have you heard the stuff on that fan-site, the studio out-takes and stuff?  God, they're (as you would expect) hilarious! 

[Neil]

It's called vocalese. Jon Hendricks took it furthest, by writing lyrics to the solos, such as on the Manhattan Transfer version of the same tune that Anita got stuck into.

Thanks for that, now I know the right term I can read up on it, but I do hope people continue to give example YouTubes and stuff!

That one you linked is bladdy great, I'll give it another watch now, the last note almost made my eyes pop out.  Did you see O'Day doing that Fats Waller song on the front page?  ([noembed]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HvqnoFq28Ec&[/noembed])  I can't stop watching it ever since I found it (mostly perched on the edge of my chair, with shivers periodically running up and down my spine), I tend to get with that like pretty much ALL of her performances that pop up on YouTube.  Her abilities as a dancer combined with her general sense of style and stage presence to make her someone I can barely take my eyes off!  And then of course you have her singing, her sense of timing and rhythm, and her ability to 'play' her voice.  I can't wait till I can get some DVDs of her - looks like that movie documentary about her life finally got released, but I MUST have that Tokyo show in proper commercial quality!

[Talulah, really!]

Petra Haden (daughter of Charlie Haden, the Jazz bassist) did an a cappella recreation of The Who's "The Who Sell Out" album which is very interesting (if you like female a cappella recreations of hard rock classics that is!) She toured it with a ten piece female choir and there is a clip here (2:15 if you want to see her doing the guitar solo). The album is rather relaxing due all the droning vocals which the clip doesn't really capture.

[youtube=425,350]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VH40tVlgyMM[/youtube]

And here is a link to her version of "God Only Knows" which gives a better example of how she sounds on record.

http://petrahadenmusic.com/God_Only_Knows.mp3

[Neil]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VNFoNBz9Dbs

Just fixing the vid for you, doesn't need any tags round it, they will auto-embed :-)  Now I really want to listen to "that dog." so that's a good suggestion!

[wherearethespoons]

http://petrahadenmusic.com/God_Only_Knows.mp3

Wow, that is lovely. Thanks.

[Talulah, really!]

Just fixing the vid for you, doesn't need any tags round it, they will auto-embed :-)  Now I really want to listen to "that dog." so that's a good suggestion!

Yeah, sorry, fat fingered Talulah* hit the wrong button. All fixed now. Thanks.

You may also like this, Ella Fitzgerald dueting with Dinah Shore. The sound quality is a little low but the music and vocals are sublime. Starts 0:55 in with the ladies mournfully gliding into "Mood Indigo". The way their voices weave in and out is amazing.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=D1wfih6Saw4

*Old school nickname there!

Wow, that is lovely. Thanks.

Good to hear you liked it.

[Nik Drou]

Not sure if this strictly counts, but what the hell...

Here's Jah Wobble on Buzzcocks.

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

[Captain Crunch]

Sadly I don't have any audio or video of this but when New Model Army did their Christmas show in 2002, they did 'Vagabonds' with the crowd doing the violin riff.  Brought a proper tear to my eye, beautiful.

[lazyhour]

Nice idea for a thread.  I really like that version of God Only Knows.

The kings of vocalese for me are the Mills Brothers in the pre-war period.  It's sad that later in their career they tended to have big fancy live bands backing them, because it seemed to stop them creating all the beautiful, warm, funny backing music themselves.  In this clip the only sound not produced by the brothers' gobs is the acoustic guitar.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li1dtJ6jC4w[/youtube]

Edit: Hold that tiger!
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTyKPP2-B5k[/youtube]

[Ignatius_S]

Creole Love Call - King's Singers

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=whKtBOWu4kw

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

SHOOBY TAYLOR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm7SKIlyNuU

Slight derailment I grant you, but it was bugging me where I'd heard that before.
It's just dawned on me.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yy55F3gNFw

Anyway, as you were....

[NoSleep]

It's called vocalese. Jon Hendricks took it furthest, by writing lyrics to the solos, such as on the Manhattan Transfer version of the same tune that Anita got stuck into.

Vocalese is the writing of lyrics to a known instrumental solo, and was originated by Eddie Jefferson.
Here he is in '52:

Eddie Jefferson - The Birdland Story (1952)

And a vocalese version from '53, this time by Babs Gonzales, of "Ornithology", the Charlie Parker tune built on the bones of "How High The Moon" that is mentioned in Neil's first post (as sung by Ella Fitzgerald):

Babs Gonzales - Ornithology (1953)

[alan nagsworth]

How about Sly And The Family Stone? Lots of the wah-wah guitar-style solos are done with a voice. Sex Machine is a classic example, also Don't Call Me n**ger, Whitey.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=B29DV9ly6DE

[NoSleep]

This thread can't go by without mentioning Magma. Their founder/drummer/composer, Christian Vander, created a new language for the lyrics of all their music. This was based largely on his own improvisational style of singing as he searched for new ideas for his compositions. Rather than tie down the final melody to a message, he decided it would be better left in the ambiguous form of its creation, so he devised the whole mythos of the Planet Kobaia and declared that Magma's songs were sung in Kobaian.

So, introducing this first composition, Hhai, is Vander himself on lead vocal doing the Kobaian equivalent of scat/vocalese. Later in the piece he takes a back seat to Stella Vander (plus other unknown female vocalist) & Klaus Blasquiz.

Hhai (1978)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dNF-B7SxkQ

And secondly here's a more recent incarnation of Magma, but featuring as guests both Jannick Top on bass and Klaus Blasquiz assisting on vocals, together with regular vocalists Stella Vander, Isabelle Feuillebois, and Antoine & Himiko Paganotti (children of erstwhile Magma bass player, Bernard).

Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh - end part (2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlJKKtgreqw

[NoSleep]

I've just been looking up YouTubes and Wikis for the Cocteau Twins for this thread too. Elisabeth Fraser only ever uses words as a platform to sing in that inimitiable way of hers. The Cocteau Wiki mentions two terms that relate to her singing style (aside from "indecipherable"): Glossolalia ("Speaking in tongues") & Puirt a beul (Gaelic:Mouth Music).

[Lfbarfe]

This thread can't mention Magma without mentioning their biggest fan, snooker player Steve 'Interesting' Davis.

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

It's called vocalese. Jon Hendricks took it furthest, by writing lyrics to the solos, such as on the Manhattan Transfer version of the same tune that Anita got stuck into.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-01ZhFPZKk[/youtube].

Their version of Zawinul's Birdland must count as well.  Hendricks again with Janis Siegel arranging.  Siegel singing How well those cats remember their first Birdland gig / To play in Birdland is an honour we still dig / Yeah, that club was like in another world, sure enough, yeah baby / All the cats were cookin' on / People just sat and they was steady lookin' on / Then Bird, he came and spread the word, Birdland to the same notes as Wayne Shorter's complicated sax solo is wonderful.

[Lfbarfe]

Pretty much 60% of Manhattan Transfer's repertoire counts. Regular listeners to the pretend radio will be bored to death of 'Four Brothers', because I play it almost every week given the chance. Music aside, my love for Laurel Masse's tomboy in a cocktail dress act knows few bounds.

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

Pretty much 60% of Manhattan Transfer's repertoire counts. Regular listeners to the pretend radio will be bored to death of 'Four Brothers', because I play it almost every week given the chance. Music aside, my love for Laurel Masse's tomboy in a cocktail dress act knows few bounds.

& 'Walk In Love' on The Two Ronnies!  [adjusts collar to let out steam]

[Rolf Harris]

Jack Black, several Tenacious D vocal 'guitar' solos.