Tripp Fenderson

Skee-be doop. Skee-be doop. Biddly bip bap bip. Ze dap. BOP!

Teagan, my six-year-old daughter, has been bippity bopping around the house lately, putting her movements to music in what can only be described as scat. Never wanting to miss an opportunity to introduce great music to my kids, I put together a playlist of songs for her that included the following:

Mumbles - Clark Terry & Oscar Peterson Trio
I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) - Louis Prima & Phil Harris
Them There Eyes - Anita O’Day
Lullaby of Birdland - Clifford Brown & Sarah Vaughan
Annie’s Lament - Annie Ross
Love Me or Leave Me - Sammy Davis Jr.
Potato Chips - Slim Gaillard
Stompin’ at the Savoy - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

She got a real kick out of Anita O’Day, bouncing around the office trying to mimic her vocals. She also enjoyed Potato Chips but her interest may be more about the novel subject matter than Slim Gaillard’s talent. The rest of it held her interest, which I took as a sign of approval. (Daddy’s little jazz girl)

After burning a CD for her, we went upstairs to turn in for the night. While changing into her PJs, she stopped in front of the aquarium we’d recently set up in her room. She was staring intently at a group of 3 zebra danios that were frantically swimming in the current - bouncing back and forth from side to side of the tank and playing off one another.

She turns to me with a satisfied look on her face and says, “Daddy. I think I’m going to name all three of those fish Scat.”

“Teagan, I think that’s the perfect name for them.”

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We’re always looking for good music to introduce to the kids. If you’re listening to anything fun at home and would like to share, drop a note in the comments.