It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

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It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) is a 1931 jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington . The text is from Irving Mills . The title is said to go back to a phrase by the trumpeter Cootie Williams , according to other sources it comes from the trumpeter of the Ellington Orchestra, Bubber Miley, who died of tuberculosis .

background

The composition was written by Ellington in August 1931 during a break at Chicago's Lincoln Tavern and is in AABA form. It was first recorded by the Duke Ellington Orchestra for Brunswick Records (Br 6265) on February 2, 1932. On this first recording the newly signed Ivie Anderson sings , the solos come from trombonist Joe Nanton and the alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges . In 1932 this recording was in the American charts for 6 weeks, where it climbed to number 6. In the fall of 1936 a cover version of the Mills Brothers followed , which reached number 7 on the charts.

The song became famous in Ellington's opinion because it expressed the sentiments that prevailed among the jazz musicians of the time ("as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time").

It was probably one of the first songs to have the word "swing" in its title and introduce it into common parlance, heralding the era of swing . Ellington recorded the piece several times over the years and it became the orchestra's signature piece during this time.

The song has also been used in several films: Harlem Nights (1989), Swing Kids (1993, with Billy Banks ), and Corrina, Corrina (2000, Ivie Anderson with the Duke Ellington Orchestra).

Well-known recordings by other musicians

Web links