Ella Fitzgerald is celebrated as one of the most important jazz singers of all time not just for the quality of her voice, but also for her groundbreaking improvisational skills. "Ella could not only sing a melody," says Jazzmeia Horn, "she could scat the hell out of some chord changes and sound just like an instrumentalist." Horn is a creative, expressive jazz singer who's also an impressive improviser. "I like to say that I am continuing the legacy, or the tradition, of vocal improvisation," Horn says. So we asked her to explain what scat singing is and demonstrate her own twist on Fitzgerald's trademark skill.
- Category
- Modern Jazz
- Tags
- NPR, NPR Music, National Public Radio