It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
| "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Duke Ellington | |
| Released | 1932 |
| Recorded | February 2, 1932 |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Composer(s) | Duke Ellington |
| Lyricist(s) | Irving Mills |
"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. It is now accepted as a jazz standard, and jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as "now legendary" and "a prophetic piece and a prophetic title".[1] In 2008, Ellington's 1932 recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[2]
Background
The music was composed and arranged by Ellington in August 1931 during intermissions at the Lincoln Tavern in Chicago;[citation needed] the lyrics were contributed by Irving Mills. According to Ellington, the song's title was the credo of trumpeter Bubber Miley,[3] who was dying of tuberculosis at the time;[4] Miley died the year the song was released.[5]
The song was first recorded by Ellington and his orchestra for Brunswick Records on February 2, 1932.[6] Ivie Anderson sang the vocal and trombonist Joe Nanton and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges played the solos. The song became famous, Ellington wrote, "as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time".[3] The Ellington band recorded it numerous times, most often with trumpeter Ray Nance as vocalist.
Other versions
- The Boswell Sisters (1932)[7]
- Roger Wolfe Kahn (1932)[8]
- Stephane Grappelli with Django Reinhardt (1935)[6]
- Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington (Riverside, 1955)[6]
- Sidney Bechet and Martial Solal – Sidney Bechet-Martial Solal Quartet Featuring Kenny Clarke (1957)[6]
- Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington – The Great Reunion (1961)[9]
- Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington – Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur[6] (Verve, 1967)
- Teresa Brewer and Duke Ellington (1974)[10]
- Chuck Brown – Go Go Swing Live (1987)[11]
- Diane Schuur with Stan Getz – Schuur Thing (1985)[6]
References
- ^ Schuller, Gunther (1991). The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930-1945. Oxford University Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0195071405.
- ^ "Grammy Hall Of Fame". Recording Academy. Archived from the original on 2011-01-22.
- ^ a b Ellington, Duke (1976). Music Is My Mistress. Da Capo Press. pp. 419, 106. ISBN 978-0306800337.
- ^ Jazz Journal, Dec. 1965
- ^ Corliss, Richard (21 October 2011). "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". Time.
- ^ a b c d e f Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ Friedwald, Will (1990). Jazz Singing. Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 169. ISBN 0-684-18522-9.
- ^ Yanow, Scott (2003). Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years. Backbeat Books. p. 97. ISBN 978-0879307554.
- ^ Nollen, Scott Allen (2004). Louis Armstrong: The Life, Music, and Screen Career. McFarland and Company. p. 162. ISBN 0-7864-1857-5.
- ^ "Top Album Picks". Billboard. February 9, 1974. p. 61.
- ^ Gantt, Diedre R. (2013). "Talking Drums: Soca and Go-Go Music as Grassroots Identity Movements". In Diouf, M.; Nwankwo, I. K. (eds.). Rhythms of the Afro-Atlantic World. University of Michigan Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-472-02747-7.