IT DON´T MEAN A THING (IF IT AIN´T GOT THAT SWING)

Music: Duke Ellington- Lyrics: Irving Mills

Year: 1932

It don´t mean a thing-clasicos del jazz-standards jazz

Origin of the song

It was Duke Ellington with the singer Ivie Anderson who recorded ‘It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)’ for the first time on 2 February 1932 for the Brunswick label. That same year, the disc entered the top charts and reached the sixth position.

The origin of the song’s title is unknown. Some say it was the James ‘Bubber' Miley’s favourite saying, trumpet player in Ellington’s band during the 20s. Others, that if was Cootie Williams motto, Miley’s substitute in the orchestra. A third version assigns the sentence to Irving Mills, who explained Ellington that the clients were not dancing with the music the band was playing.

The term swing has been used in many senses. For jazz musicians, it refers to the fact that the notes can be played with different rhythms, which allows the performer express different feelings. Another use of this term defines a music style that the great dance orchestras played during the 30s and the 40s, characterised by a major emphasis in solos improvisations. But, during the 20s, and even before, musicians used to employ the term swing as a synonym for jazz.

Versions in the top charts

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	DAY OF ENTRANCE	PERMANENCE WEEKS	HIGH POSITION REACHED
Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra	1932.02.02	1932.02.27	6	6	Ivie Anderson (voc)
The Mills Brothers	1932.07.01	1932.09.17	5	7	Herbert, Harry & Donald Mills (voc), John Mills (g, voc)

Jazz. Outstanding performances

Instrumental

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING		MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Stéphane Grappelli & His Hot Four	1935.10.21		Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt, Pierre Ferret (g), Tony Rovira (b)
Dizzy Gillespie- Stan Getz Sextet	1953.12.09		Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Stan Getz (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Max Roach (d)
Thelonious Monk Trio	1955.07.21		Thelonious Monk (p), Oscar Pettiford (b), Kenny Clarke (d)
Max Roach Quintet	1957.03.18		Kenny Dorham (tp), Sonny Rollins (ts), Bill Wallace (p), George Morrow (b), Max Roach (d)
Modern Jazz Quartet	195912.21		Milt Jackson (vib), John Lewis (p), Percy Heath (b), Connie Kay (d)
Kenny Burrell Orchestra	1975.02.05		Kenny Burrell (g), Thad Jones (cn, fis), Jon Faddis, Snooky Young (tp), Joe Henderson (ts), Jerome Richardson (ts, ss), Jimmy Jones (p), Jimmy Smith (org), Stanley Gilbert (b), Jimmie Smith (d)
Clark Terry & Red Mitchell	1986.01.28	Clark Terry (tp, fis), Red Mitchell (b)
Ray Brown Trio	1998.07.??		Gene Harris (p), Ray Brown (b), Jeff Hamilton (d)

Vocal

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra	1932.02.02	Duke Ellington (p, dir), Freddy Jenkins, Arthur Whetsel, Cootie Williams (tp), Joe Nanton (tb), Juan Tizol (vtb), Barney Bigard (cl, ts), Johnny Hodges (cl, ss, as), Harry Carney (cl, as, bars), Fred Guy (bjo, g), Wellman Braud (b), Sonny Greer (d), Ivie Anderson (voc)
The Mills Brothers	1932.07.01	Herbert, Harry & Donald Mills (voc), John Mills (g, voc)
The Boswell Sisters	1932.11.22	Connee & Helvetia Boswell (voc), Martha Boswell (p, voc), Bunny Berigan, Manny Klein (tp), Tommy Dorsey (tb), Jimmy Dorsey (cl), Larry Binyon (ts), Harry Hoffman (vn), Carl Kress (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Stan King (d), Victor Young (dir)
Lionel Hampton Orchestra	1939.04.03	Lionel Hampton (vib, voc, dir), Irving Randolph (tp), Hymie Schertzer (as, bars), Russell Procope (as), Jerry Jerome, Chu Berry (ts), Clyde Hart (p), Allen Reuss (g), Milt Hinton (b), Cozy Cole (d)
Duke Ellington Orchestra	1944.12.19	Duke Ellington (p, dir), Rex Stewart (cnt), Shelton Hemphill, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson (tp), Ray Nance (tp, vn, voc), Joe Nanton, Claude Jones, Lawrence Brown (tb), Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick (as), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Al Sears (ts), Harry Carney (bars), Fred Guy (g), Junior Raglin (b), Hillard Brown (d) In Carnegie Hall, New York
Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra	1945.05.14	Duke Ellington (p, dir), Rex Stewart (cnt), Cat Anderson, Shelton Hemphill, Taft Jordan, Ray Nance (tp), Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton (tb), Claude Jones (vtb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Otto Hardwick, Johnny Hodges (as), Al Sears (ts), Harry Carney (cl, bars), Fred Guy (g), Bob Haggart (b), Sonny Greer (d), Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis, Marie Ellington (voc)
Rosemary Clooney with Duke Ellington Orchestra	1956.01.27	Rosemary Clooney (voc), Duke Ellington (p, dir), Cat Anderson, Willie Cook, Ray Nance, Cootie Williams (tp), Quentin Jackson, Britt Wooodman (tb), John Sanders (vtb), Russell Procope (as, cl), Johnny Hodges (as), Jimmy Hamilton (ts, cl), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Harry Carney (bars), Jimmy Woode (b), Sam Woodyard (d)
Ella Fitzgerald	1956.09.04	Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Ben Webster (ts), Stuff Smith (vn), Paul Smith (p), Barney Kessel (g), Joe Mondragon (b), Alvin Stoller (d)
Annie Ross with Gerry Mulligan Quartet	1957.12.11	Annie Ross (voc), Chet Baker (tp), Gerry Mulligan (bars), Henry Grimes (b), Dave Bailey (d)
Ernestine Anderson	1960.??.??	Ernestine Anderson (voc), Clark Terry, Ernie Royal (tp), Frank Rehak (tb), Yusef Lateef (fl, ts, ob), Tate Houston (bars), Hank Jones (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Mac Ceppos (vn), Art Davis (b), Willie Rodriguez (per), Charlie Persip (d), Ernie Wilkins (dir)
Duke Ellington with Louis Armstrong All Stars	1961.04.03	Duke Ellington (p), Louis Armstrong (tp, voc), Trummy Young (tb), Barney Bigard (cl), Mort Herbert (b), Danny Barcelona (d)
Joe Williams	1966.09.30	Joe Williams (voc), Snooky Young, Jimmy Nottingham, Bill Berry, Richard Williams (tp), Garnett Brown, Tom McIntosh, Clif Hezer (tb), Bob Brookmeyer (vtb), Jerome Richardson, Jerry Doghon, Eddie Daniels, Joe Ferrel, Pepper Adams (ww), Roland Hanna (p), Sam Herman (g), Richard Davis (b), Mel Lewis (d, dir), Thad Jones (dir)
Ernestine Anderson	1977.10.10	Ernestine Anderson (voc), Hank Jones (p), Ray Brown (b), Jimmie Smith (d)
Helen Merrill	1989.06.12	Helen Merrill (voc), Stan Getz (ts), Joachim Kuhn (p), Jean Francois Jenny-Clark (b), Daniel Humair (d)

On cinemas

The song 'It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:

ORIGINAL TITLE	TITLE IN SPAIN	YEAR OF PRODUCTION	PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM
Air Force	El bombardero heroico / Fuerzas aéreas	1943	Background music
England Made Me	Inglaterra me hizo	1973
Frances	Frances	1982	Mood Indigo
Harlem Nights	Noches de Harlem	1989
The Toxic Avenger Part II	El vengador tóxico 2	1989
Swing Kids	Rebeldes del swing	1993	Billy Banks
Forget Paris	Olvídate de París	1995
Hoodlum	Hampones	1997	Laurnea Wilkerson
Sweet and Lowdown	Acordes y desacuerdos	1999	Howard Alden, Kelly Friesen, Joel Helleny, Dick Hyman, Ken Peplowski, Ted Sommer & Byron Stripling
Corrina, Corrina	Corina, Corina	2000	Ivie Anderson, Duke Ellington Famous Orchestra
Paris à tout prix	París a toda costa	2013	Club des Belugas
Fury	Corazones de acero	2014	Hal Clark & The West-O-Crats