The song of the day for Saturday, January 10, 2015 is “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”
About This Song
This song, written by Duke Ellington (with lyrics by Irving Mills) in 1931, was one of the first songs to use the word “swing” in the title and this song certainly defined what it meant to swing. Ellington recorded the song with Ivie Anderson on vocals and it was an immediate hit. It has been widely recorded since it was written and the song is a lot of fun to play and to listen to. Significant recordings include those by Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Gigi Gryce, Tony Bennett and Thelonious Monk.
About This Version
Today’s version is from Tony’s latest album: Cheek to Cheek, with Lady Gaga. And yes, it really does swing. The arrangement is by the great Marion Evans.
“It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” as well as the album Cheek To Cheek, is available from iTunes.
About Today
Yes, it’s Saturday and that means a video. Here’s Tony singing today’s song with some really exceptional drumming from Clayton Cameron.
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