Ma. Victoria Victorino of Philippines wrote:

Hi! I just want to ask about scat singing, and what kinds of syllables can be used effectively? can you also please give me the do's and don'ts of scat singing? Thank you so much.

Dear Ma. Victorino:

Since this question was far beyond my expertise, I turned to a good friend, singer Carla White (her most recent release is "The Sweetest Sounds," on DIW):

What syllables to use when scatting is a question that comes up frequently. If you listen to different people scat, you will notice that each individual has developed their own scat "vocabulary". I believe the most honest, fun and effective way to find your own vocabulary as a scat singer is to spend time singing along with instrumental solos. Preferably horn solos (such as Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, etc) because like the voice, they are also wind instruments and will phrase with the breath. A good pianist or guitarist will leave "breathing room" also, but it is best to start out learning horn solos. Don't even consciously think about what syllables to use to imitate the horn. Just get as close as you possibly can to what the horn player is playing and if you concentrate solely on that, the syllables will come out on their own. You have to trust your ears and your body. Believe me, the voice, your voice will find a way to articulate what your ear is hearing. There are no shortcuts to developing your own individual scat vocabulary. You just have to put in the time.

The do's and don't's of scat singing. Well, the first thing that comes to mind is a quote from the great be-bop pianist Barry Harris who works a lot with developing singers. He said: "If you must scat, be relevant". I take that to mean that a few things:

First of all, you only scat if you really feel you must. It is not some trick or gimmick that you acquire because you think you need it to be considered a "Jazz Singer". You scat because you are motivated to explore the music beyond interpreting the lyrics... because you want to feel the same musical freedom that an instrumentalist does... because you feel you want to say something with the music that you can't say with the words.

And secondly, it is imperative that you acquire the same knowledge an instumentalist does when learning about the language of music. Know about harmony and theory. But never ignore the melody. It is the soul of the song you are going to improvise on. It is your touchstone. KNOW THE MELODY.

And that is the short of it. Peace, Carla

Many thanks to Carla for taking the time to compose such a comprehensive answer. And a great way to hear some examples of what she's talking about is to pick up one or more of her CDs! She has her own page at www.jazzcorner.com/white/

Lucas of New York, NY wrote:

Has the video/DVD of the "Thelonius Monk - Straight, No Chaser" documentary been commercially released?

Lucas:

This documentary was released on VHS several years ago, I have a copy of it. It has since appeared on DVD as well.

Tom Grose of Atlanta, GA wrote:

Ken:

Someone asked you about a recording called "Merry Christmas Anyway" that featured yours truly on vocals. The artist/writer's name is Perry Barton. The song featured threelead vocalists then-prominent on the Atlanta music scene: Vance Taylor, Perry and myself. It got wide play during several Christmas seasons in the late 1980s on WQXI-FM ("94-Q") on a show called "Jazz Flavours," hosted by the legendary Russ Davis.I don't know if copies exist although I'm sure Perry has the master. It's a great song. That's the scoop on that one. (By the way, I'm the same guy who played on that Ichiban Christmas record. I've done a lot of work for them.) Regards, Tom Grose.

Tom:

I was left Atlanta in 1980 and haven't kept up with the local scene that much. Thanks for the update!

Janki of Philadelphia, PA wrote:

Hi, Ken!

I want to know who sings the song by the title"At Last." Some of the words to the chorus are as follows: }At last, my love has come along, and life is like a song. At last, at last." It is sung in a very smooth and relaxing rhythem (if that helps any). Someone told me it was by the artist Etta James. However, I'm not sure there even is an artist by that name. I have never been able to locate a person by such name in any internet search I have conducted. Thanks for your time and effort.

Janki:

I've never heard of Ella James, maybe they meant Etta James. I'm not really familiar with that lyric excerpt, but I'm going to gamble. Look for a recent CD reissue of Etta James called "Love Songs" (MCA 112498); it has a song on it (an old standard) called "At Last."

Anne Brown of Sydney, Australia wrote:

I am looking for a record "Jacques Lousier Plays Bach". Can you offer any help?

Anne:

That is a 1996 Telarc CD (#83411) so it should be in print and readily available from the major music web sites like amazon.com, etc.

Brian Gaffney of New York City wrote:

Ken:

I'm attempting to find Sarah Vaughan's "Sarah + 2" recording with Barney Kessel(g) and Joe Comfort(b). To my knowledge this is only available on LP. The work has not been made available on CD. Please help.

Brian:

The 1965 Roulette LP Sarah Plus Two hasn't made it to CD yet; but there's even a rarer 1962 LP, made for the long defunct Reactivation label, whose title I haven't been able to confirm. If you're looking for either LP, you might try Euclid Records (www.euclidrecordscom).

Robert Myers of Posen, Illinois wrote:

I was at Miles Davis' last show in Chicago. (Grant Park) How or who might I contact to get a recording of it. WBEZ broadcast and rebroadcast the concert. The sound system there was very good.

Robert:

Your best bet would be to find a collector who was living in the Chicago area and made a copy of the broadcast. There are a lot of people who trade tapes of broadcasts, though I have found that a lot of folks either are trading 4th (or more) generation dubs, use poor quality tape, or even interrupt songs midway to flip the cassette! Numerous members of the I.A.J.R.C. (International Association of Jazz Record Collectors) trade tapes, but again, a lot of the ones I dealt with while I was a member didn't live up to my standards. WBEZ can not legally duplicate the tape, even if they still have a master copy, due to legal issues that would be raised by the Miles Davis estate and Warner Bros., his final label. Somehow I doubt that Warner Bros. would issue the concert or they probably would have by now. Miles sounded pretty ill to me on the posthumous Montreux release.

Kelly Kintner of USA wrote:

I have a cd box with hardbound book packaged like a box set called From One Charlie. It is by Charlie Watts as a tribute to Charlie Parker. I cant find anything on it. Napster knows nothing as do all the other music sites I know of. My local record shop knows nothing about it either. They've exhausted their catalogs. Do you know if it is considered rare and if it has any value?

Kelly:

I used to have that release but I got rid of it. I'm not sure whether or not it's still in print, but I don't imagine that it has a particularly high value.

John Kliem of Wellington, New Zealand wrote:

Ken:

I have long ago worn out my original copy of "Something New, Something Blue", recorded by Columbia in April/May 1959, featuring arrangements by Albam, Russo, Charles, and Macero, with musicians including Bill Evans and Art Farmer. This was released in NZ with catalogue number KLP 898. I purchased a Fresh Sound reissue in the 80s, but the sound quality is so appalling that I cannot play it with any degree of enjoyment. Do you know if a CD release has been issued? Should I inquire from Columbia Legacy? Cheers!

John:

In my opinion, Columbia probably isn't likely to put out that session any time soon, though it's probably a great one. It never hurts to ask them, though!

Ed Severance of Apex, NC wrote:

My uncle was Frank Rosolino. So many jazz lovers, (I have learned) think that he was the best trombone player they have ever heard. I have been researching the life and music of my uncle Frank for years. Please understand, I am not looking for handouts!! But Ken, if you can direct me to magazines, or people who can share interviews, stories about my uncle, I would be so very appreciative.Love God, Love Family, Love Life!!!

Ed:

There possibly are interviews on file at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers. You also can use the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature to research articles about your uncle at your library, though I don't know if this source is available on line yet. Their may be fellow members of the Jazz Journalist Association who have leads; I'll check into that but replies may take some time. Locating musicians willing to talk about him may be tougher; the best place to start is with the current record label for each artist; ask for the publicity department and tell them what you have in mind and that you'd like to be in touch with the musician's manager or agent. Some musicians may be approachable directly, it just depends.

Edward of Seattle, WA wrote:

Hank Mobley is my favorite saxophonist and Bobby Timmons is one of my favorite pianists. Unfortunately they didn't work together much. I only know of (and own) 2 albums with them playing together; "Hank" by the Hank Mobley Sextet 4/21/1957 (Japanese TOCJ-1560), and "At The Jazz Corner of the World" by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers 4/15/1959 (CDP 7243 8 28888 2 6). Do you know of any other dates they played together on? Were they ever released and if so, are they available? Thanks!

Edward:

Because there isn't a complete discography (at least, that I'm aware of) for either Hank Mobley or Bobby Timmons, my answer may be rather incomplete, especially concerning unreleased sessions. Here is the information I do have in addition to the two dates featuring them together which you've already mentioned: Curtis Fuller; The Opener Blue Note (reissued in his Mosaic boxed set) wtih Paul Chambers & Art Taylor. Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers: unreleased session March 8, 1959 with Lee Morgan & Jymie Merritt My sources include the Blue Note Discography.

Tom Burton of Birmingham, AL:

The 1950s or 1960s album, with Bud Shank on flute, contained an up tempo tune named "Happy Town" or "Happy Talk." That's all I remember about it. Is it on CD?

Tom:

"Happy Town" was reissued in 1991 on a CD by the Lighthouse All Stars (OJC 154) by Fantasy Records. Shank plays flute on this release and wrote this tune.

Andreas Westerink of Nordhorn, Germany wrote:

I'm searching for the CD by David Calarco: "Countdown", BMC Music, with Tom Harrell and Jerry Bergonzi. There's a review in the JazzTimes, April 1999, but it is not available in any store or mail-order. Can you help me? Thanks.

Andreas:

It sounds like an interesting release, but it must have been a self-financed and distributed CD with very little promotional spending. I couldn't even find a reference to David Calarco through Google (an excellent search engine), and I imagine it may be out of print. My best suggestion would be for you to write the reviewer, Sid Gribetz, in care of JazzTimes for more information.

Jeff Gaynor of Boulder, Colorado wrote:

Ken:

I am trying to find a copy of Jimmy Woods' "Conflict;" - it is on the Contemporary label circa 1962. Thanks.

Jeff:

I've had a tough time finding this title, though www.dustygroove.com has had it in stock in the recent past. Good luck!