Slim Gaillard

vocals, guitar, piano, vibraphone, tenor saxophone · 1911–1991

Singer and multi-instrumentalist, he formed the duo Slim & Slam with bassist Slam Stewart in the late 1930s and invented "vout," an imaginary language at the heart of his comic singing. In December 1945, he recorded with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie; Jack Kerouac celebrated one of his concerts in On the Road.

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Styles

• Swing, big bands
• Vocal jazz, scat, vocalese

Landmark tracks

• Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy) (1938)

Cited in 1 radio episode

• Jan 28, 2025: Jazz et surréalisme, le cas Slim Gaillard (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)

Sources

• Source

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