[Intro] [spoken softly] This is vocalese... Words riding melodies once played by instruments. Listen close. [Intro Scat] Ba-da lee-ba doo-ba day Shoo-ba ditty da-ba sway Bop-dee yip-ba doo-ba line Now we turn those notes to rhyme [Verse 1] [vocalese fast swing] Trumpet took a flight at quarter after nine Dancing through the changes in a silver spiral line Every little run became a story I could sing So I borrowed every heartbeat from the horn’s bright wing Saxophone was laughing in a language made of air I caught it with a sentence and I placed it gently there Now the solo has a suitcase full of poetry and flame That is how instrumental dreams can learn another name [Chorus] [smooth swing] Vocalese, vocalese Words inside the melodies Every note can speak with ease Flying free through vocalese Take a solo, make it sing Give the rhythm human wings Turn a phrase the trumpet frees Into lines of vocalese [Verse 2] [faster articulation] Piano dropped a staircase made of midnight polished keys I climbed it with a paragraph that floated on the breeze Bass was walking downtown with a pocket full of time I followed every footprint and I set it all to rhyme Drummer brushed a whisper on the corner of the bar I answered with a consonant that traveled just as far When the band begins to sparkle and the singer starts to chase That’s the art of putting language on a lightning-fast phrase [Bridge] [spoken teacher tone] Not just scat... Not just lyrics... You study the solo... Then sing the solo... with words. [Scat Break] Bee-da bop-da lee-da lay Shoo-ba zip-ba run away Diddy-ba-da twist and glide Now hear language join the ride [Final Chorus] [bigger energy] Vocalese, vocalese Words inside the melodies Every note can speak with ease Flying free through vocalese Take a solo, make it sing Give the rhythm human wings Turn a phrase the trumpet frees Into lines of vocalese [Outro] [slow smoky finish] When horns grow quiet after play Their stories still have much to say Listen close and you may see... The voice becomes the melody.
