There’s not a word in the English language to describe how cool Slim Gaillard was. But maybe there is in “Vout”, the language he invented.

Slim Gaillard was an eccentric jazz musician and cult favorite. He teamed with bassist Slam Stewart to form Slim and Slam. He was well-known for injecting humor into the duo’s high-energy performances, as well as the language…of sorts…that he invented.  Half hipster slang, half nonsense, Vout words comprised many of Slim’s songs, including this one. You’re listening to Slim and Slam with Yep-Roc-Heresy in 1945.

Jack Kerouac made mention of Gaillard, and Vout, in his hallmark On the Road. He mentions Slim saying “right-a-rooni” and asking for more “bourbon-arooni”, which, for the unversed, is classic vout-speak.

But see for yourself. We’ve got a whole Vout dictionary right here.