Slim Gaillard, 74; Jazz Pianist, Singer

Bulee (Slim) Gaillard, the composer and novelty singer whose recordings of such nonsense tunes as “Cement Mixer Putti Putti” sometimes detracted from his abilities as a jazz artist, died Tuesday in London.

Gaillard, whose career as a singer and pianist began in Depression-era American saloons and ended in the hip nightclubs of Europe where audiences remained loyal to his blend of music and patter, was 74.

A son, Mark Gaillard, a contractor and part-time musician who lives in the Mt. Washington area of Los Angeles, said his father had died at University College Hospital after a brief battle with cancer.

The Cuban-born Gaillard performed with jazz greats, composed music and acted in Hollywood and Britain.

Duke Ellington and writer Jack Kerouac were among his admirers and he worked with many jazz greats, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk.

“He could walk into a club and just take over and make everybody laugh,” said his son.

Gaillard gave to the world a series of inventive jazz ramblings he called “vout,” in which he interspersed “vout” and “oreenee” into the lyrics of everyday songs. What the words meant were known only to their author but at one point they resulted in an “Opera in Vout,” which he recorded with his then-partner, bassist Tiny Brown.

His first commercial success had come with bassist Slam Stewart in 1938, “Flat Foot Floogie,” one of the big recorded hits of that year.

Gaillard said he had been born in Cuba to a father who was a steward on ocean liners. Taken to Crete as a boy, he was left there when he missed the ship and worked his way back to the United States and Detroit on another vessel.

His Latin beginnings popped up in his songs occasionally as he would intersperse Spanish patter and jive talk in such songs as “Avocado Seed Soup Symphony” or “Matzoh Balls.”

His son said that “there’s a great tune that just describes his life--’Laughing in Rhythm.’ He’s laughing through the song and by the end of the song, everybody’s laughing.

“He was a cartoon character. Everybody loved him.”

For years he was a fixture in Los Angeles, where he appeared regularly at the Regency on La Cienega Boulevard.

Known for his ability to play piano with the backs of his hands, the raspy-voiced Gaillard also was an accomplished guitarist and vibraphonist.

He acted in the television miniseries “Roots” and films “Absolute Beginners” with David Bowie, and “Planet of the Apes.” He also performed and sang in such earlier pictures as “Hellzapoppin’ ” and “Too Late Blues.” In 1989 he was featured in a four-part British Broadcasting Corp. series. He was living in the Chelsea District of London at his death.

One of Gaillard’s last performances was on the recently released single “Easy to Put Together, But Hard to Take Apart” by the jazz-influenced rap group The Dream Warriors.

Mark Gaillard, among Gaillard’s four surviving children, said funeral plans include ceremonies in London this week and in Los Angeles next, but the dates had not been set.