Cab Calloway
Hi-de-ho bandleader
Cab Calloway (1907–1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader known for his flamboyant style and energetic scat singing.
He led one of the most popular big bands of the swing era and performed regularly at the Cotton Club in Harlem.
His signature song "Minnie the Moocher" introduced the call-and-response phrase hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho, which became his trademark.
Improvised vocal jazz
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- jiveSwing-era dance or bunk
- hepcatDated slang for jazz enthusiast
big band jazz · vocalist · crooner · blues · standards · syncopation · rhythm · groove
Dramatic, attention-grabbing performer
- scat singingNonsense-syllable jazz vocals
- call and responseAlternating vocal pattern
- stage presencePerformer's commanding aura
- charismaMagnetic personal appeal
zoot suit · energetic · flamboyant · audience interaction · vaudeville · revue · spotlight · entertainer
Legendary Harlem jazz venue
- Apollo TheaterLegendary Harlem performance hall
- speakeasyIllicit liquor establishment
- ProhibitionConstitutional alcohol ban era
- Great MigrationVast collective relocation
Duke Ellington · Savoy Ballroom · Billie Holiday · Louis Armstrong · stride piano · African-American culture · jazz age · uptown
Large jazz ensemble
- orchestraLarge instrumental ensemble
- arrangerOne who orders elements
- frontmanLead performer of group
- batonSlender rod for leading
conductor · brass section · ensemble · rehearsal · composition · direction · performance · score
Soul revue comedy act
- jive talkJazz-age street vernacular
- zoot suitExaggerated 1940s ensemble
- cultural iconWidely recognized symbolic figure
- Porgy and BessAmerican folk opera
scat
Improvised vocal jazz
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- jiveSwing-era dance or bunk
hepcat · big band jazz · vocalist · crooner · blues · standards · syncopation · rhythm · groove · jazz vocals
showman
Dramatic, attention-grabbing performer
- scat singingNonsense-syllable jazz vocals
- call and responseAlternating vocal pattern
- stage presencePerformer's commanding aura
charisma · zoot suit · energetic · flamboyant · audience interaction · vaudeville · revue · spotlight · entertainer · choreography
Cotton Club
Legendary Harlem jazz venue
- Apollo TheaterLegendary Harlem performance hall
- speakeasyIllicit liquor establishment
- ProhibitionConstitutional alcohol ban era
Duke Ellington · Great Migration · Savoy Ballroom · Billie Holiday · Louis Armstrong · stride piano · African-American culture · jazz age · uptown · ballroom
big band
Large jazz ensemble
baton · conductor · brass section · ensemble · rehearsal · composition · direction · performance · score · musical director
Blues Brothers
Soul revue comedy act
- jive talkJazz-age street vernacular
- zoot suitExaggerated 1940s ensemble
- cultural iconWidely recognized symbolic figure
Cab CallowayPaul Robeson
Marian Anderson · Duke Ellington · Langston Hughes · W.E.B. Du Bois