I want to find the scat version  of the song Mountain Greenery

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Request for Question Clarification by markj-ga on 02 Mar 2005 14:33 PST

wiffie --

Are you looking for a scat vocal of the song by a particular artist,
or any scat version?

Since "Mountain Greenery" was a signature song of the late Mel Torme,
and Torme was known for his scat vocals, I expect that he performed a
scat interlude in the song during some recorded live performance at
least once.

Ella Fitzgerald is another possibility, since she also recorded the
song several times and was known for her scat singing.

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Clarification of Question by wiffie-ga on 03 Mar 2005 13:37 PST

If there is a verison of Ella singing Mountain Greenery in Scat that
would be the one I would prefer to obtain. I have tried and can not
find a location that specifically states that she sings this song in
scat. However, if she did not perform it in scat I would still like to
get a scat version of Mountain Greenery by what ever artist recorded
it.

Thank you for responding and asking for more clarification.

Ella Fitzgerald appears to have recorded "Mountain Greenery" only as
part of her Verve "Songbook" series in the album "The Rodgers and Hart
Songbook."  There was very little scat singing in this series, since
the arrangements were oriented to a pop, not a jazz audience. (I can
attest to this, since I own LPs of most of the Songbook series, though
not the Rodgers and Hart offering.)

Also, while Mel Torme usually sang Mountain Greenery at a breakneck
pace, with jazz phrasing and an improvisatory style, I can't determine
whether there is a recording that includes scatting.


However, there is one recording that certainly is scat-based.  It is
the version by Jackie Cain and Roy Kral on their 1967 LP called
"Lovesick."  Unfortunately, that LP falls into the "somewhat rare"
(and thus costly) category.  It is also available on a Japanese import
CD offered by Amazon.com for  $26.99.  Here is a link to the Amazon
listing:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/music/B00000JXDY/glance/103-4792221-0455859


I am confident that scat is used in this performance since I am
familiar with the duo's style.  And, here are a couple of relevant
online descriptions of the album and the "Mountain Greenery" track:

"With Lovesick, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral produced an album that had
every bit as much optimism and flower-powered innocence as did any
album coming out of San Francisco in the summer of love. But this is
decidedly not folk-rock or rock music -- it's vocal jazz of the
highest degree. It is high-spirited, sexy, life-affirming, sometimes
silly, but always wonderful. Jackie Cain proves what a fine singer she
is, and Roy Kral shows what a fine pianist he is. Their vocal
harmonies are every bit as irresistible as those of Simon and
Garfunkel, with the added ingredients of swing and scat thrown in. The
duo and their rhythm section truly sound like they are having "A Big
Beautiful Ball." ~ Jim Newsom, All Music Guide"

Artist Direct: Lovesick
http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,107592-447945,00.html


Jackie & Roy - Mountain Greenery
from Lovesick (1967)


This site tantalizingly purports to offer a download of the
performance of "Mountain Greenery," but it does appear to be
available:

Lovesick: Mountain Greneery
A typical upbeat jazzy duet from Jackie & Roy. Light swinging piano
backing against their lyrics and scatted vocals.

Balansamba
http://www.balansamba.com/feature3.html


I am posting this as a comment rather than an answer because of the
cost of acquiring the CD or LP.  Possibly another researcher can find
a less expensive way to obtain the song.

TYPO CORRECTION (Missing "not"):

The sentence about a download of "Mountain Greenery" should have read:

"This site tantalizingly purports to offer a download of the
performance of "Mountain Greenery," but it does not appear to be
available:"