Duke Ellington - It don't mean a thing (1943)

Duke Ellington and his orchestra playing this awesome tune in 1943.

"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills, now accepted as a jazz standard. The music was written and arranged by Ellington in August 1931 during intermissions at Chicago's Lincoln Tavern and was first recorded by Ellington and his orchestra for Brunswick Records (Br 6265) on February 2, 1932. Ivie Anderson sang the vocal and trombonist Joe Nanton and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges played the instrumental solos. The title was based on the oft stated credo of Ellington's former trumpeter Bubber Miley, who was dying of tuberculosis. The song became famous, Ellington wrote, "as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time." Probably the first song to use the phrase "swing" in the title, it introduced the term into everyday language and presaged the Swing Era by three years. The Ellington band played the song continuously over the years and recorded it numerous times, most often with trumpeter Ray Nance as vocalist.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• duke
• ellington
• piano
• it
• don't
• mean
• thing
• 1943
• orchestra
• jazz
• swing
• bebop
• irving
• mills
• tricky
• sam
• nanton
• trombone
• solo

[TheSuperspudnik]

0:10 to 0:14 just made my day

[MeLauraArtOutOfLife]

I'd kill to acquire a time machine.

[fjmsfc]

i like this song.

[Jpear5000]

@MeLauraArtOutOfLife Yeah, the audio recording equipment of the time just doesn't quite cut it!!! I'd so love to hear this live!!

[AlexanderOnTube]

@IamDottieDandridge Not Ray Charles wrote "Hit the road, Jack" but Percy Mayfield

[SOOMPiBABY]

Love this song! ^__^

[tnicolletolley]

This kind of music makes me happy:)

[IamDottieDandridge]

I didn't know Ray Charles borrowed the beginning of hit the road jack from this lol

[IamDottieDandridge]

Wow I didn't realize hit the road jack has the same rhythym

[UncleMikeNJ]

The original version of this song was recorded on February 2, 1932, 80 years ago today.

[jess6loves1d]

Heard this song in the movie Swing Kids. Thats when i thought swing music was amazingly fun to listen to

[sunbrinson]

i missed them!