Definitions for "Scat singing"
a style of vocal jazz improvisation in which nonsense syllables are used to imitate the sound of a musical instrument
a technique of jazz singing in which onomatopoeic or nonsense syllables are sung to improvised melodies. Several scholars believe scat singing originated in West African music, in which some percussion patterns had been translated into vocal lines by assigning syllables to characteristic rhythms. However, since jazz scat singing involves the free invention of rhythm, melody, and syllables, it is likely that the technique began in the USA as singers imitated the sounds of jazz instrumentalists. Ella Fitzgerald was particularly adept at imitating various jazz instruments and even particular soloists. Scat singing was often used in New Orleans jazz; and in some form on early blues recordings.
singing jazz; the singer substitutes nonsense syllables for the words of the song and tries to sound like a musical instrument