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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

April 5, 2016 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 5, 2016 is “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

About This Song

Written in 1931 (with lyrics by Irving Mills), Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” 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

Tony Bennett has recorded this song several times. I really enjoy this version from 1999 for Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, which features an excellent arrangement by Ralph Burns.

It Don"t Mean A Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing)

Listen to It Don"t Mean A Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1999

“It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, is available from iTunes.

And here are a couple of Duke Ellington versions. The first is, I believe, one the earliest recordings featuring Ivie Anderson:

It Don"t Mean a Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing)

Listen to It Don"t Mean a Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing) on Spotify. Song · Duke Ellington · 1927

And then there’s this masterpiece featuring Duke and Louis Armstrong from the 1961 Great Summit:

It Don"t Mean a Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing) - 1990 Remaster

Listen to It Don"t Mean a Thing (If It Ain"t Got That Swing) - 1990 Remaster on Spotify. Song · Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington · 2001

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Ivie Anderson, Louis Armstrong

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