Slim & Slam was a musical partnership in the late 1930s and early 1940s consisting of
Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (vocals, guitar, vibes and piano) and
Leroy Elliott "Slam" Stewart (bass and vocals).
They produced novelty
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
numbers featuring Slim's distinctive vocal style with
vocalese
Vocalese is a style of jazz singing in which words are added to an instrumental soloist's improvisation.
Definition
Vocalese uses recognizable lyrics that are sung to pre-existing instrumental solos, as opposed to scat singing, which uses nonsen ...
and
scats, hipster
argot
A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.McArthur, T. (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (1992) Oxford University Press It may also be called a cryptolect, argot ...
and
nonce
Nonce may refer to:
* Cryptographic nonce, a number or bit string used only once, in security engineering
* Nonce word, a word used to meet a need that is not expected to recur
* The Nonce, American rap duo
* Nonce orders, an architectural term
...
words.
Sam Allen played piano and Pompey "Gus" Dobson played drums on most of their early recordings.
Their biggest hits were "
Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)
"Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)" (also "The Flat Foot Floogee") is a 1938 jazz song, written by Slim Gaillard, Slam Stewart, and Bud Green, and performed by Gaillard and Stewart as Slim & Slam.
"Flat Foot Floogie" was Slim & Slam's first ...
",
"Cement Mixer (Puti Puti)" and "The Groove Juice Special (Opera in Vout)".
Other musicians who recorded with Slim & Slam included
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
,
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Career Early life and career
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...
,
Jimmy Rowles
James George Hunter (August 19, 1918 – May 28, 1996), known professionally as Jimmy Rowles (sometimes spelled Jimmie Rowles), was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer. As a bandleader and accompanist, he explored multiple styles in ...
,
Kenny Clarke
Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-h ...
,
Al Killian
Albert Killian (October 15, 1916 – September 5, 1950) was an American jazz trumpeter and occasional bandleader during the big band era.
Early life and career
Killian was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 15, 1916.
Killian got his start ...
,
Chico Hamilton
Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleade ...
,
Leo Watson
Leo Watson (February 27, 1898 – May 2, 1950) was an American jazz vocalese singer, drummer, trombonist and tiple player. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, and is probably best remembered as a member of The Spirits of Rh ...
and Garvin Bushel.
The song "
Tutti Frutti
Tutti frutti (from Italian ''tutti i frutti'', "all fruits"; also hyphenated tutti-frutti) is a colorful confectionery containing various chopped and usually candied fruits, or an artificial or natural flavouring simulating the combined flavour ...
" by
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
is loosely based on Slim & Slam's 1938 "Tutti Frutti" (Vocalion 4225).
References
External links
Article at ubuweb
American jazz ensembles
American musical duos
Male musical duos
Vocalese singers
Vocalion Records artists
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