"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]
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | |
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Song by Duke Ellington | |
Released | 1932 (1932) |
Recorded | February 2, 1932 |
Genre | Jazz |
Composer(s) | Duke Ellington |
Lyricist(s) | Irving Mills |
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.
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