I just got a copy of “The Best of The Chieftains 1992” and on one of the tunes, a musician does some good old “scat” singing (no lyrics) rather than playing his instrument. He does all of the ornamentation with “nonsense” syllables just as if he was playing it on a whistle or fiddle. Great stuff. I wonder if he is related to Mel Torme or Ella Fitzgerald? Who needs a whistle? Now how do those short rolls go?
di-dl-e-um… di-dl-e-de…
In ITM, I believe, it’s called “lilting”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilting
Been meaning to ask this forever and here’s my opportunity:
What are some good recordings of lilting for me to look for? Who’s the Mary Bergin of lilting? Examples of traditional vs. more modern lilting? Etc…
http://celticgrooves.homestead.com/CG_Fay_Seamus.html
http://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Mouth-Music-Various-Artists/dp/B0000059U2
Some downloadable mp3s from Celtic Mouth Music here: http://www.ubu.com/ethno/soundings/celtic.html
Thanks MT! 
Those clips were very entertaining. Some sounded quite musical and others like a little too much Irish whiskey had been consumed!