This song is definitely one of the hymns of swing music: It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), composed in 1931 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Irving Mills. It was recorded the first time on February 2, 1932 for Brunswick Records. Ivie Anderson sang the vocal and trombonist Joe Nanton and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges played the instrumental solos. There are many stories about the origin of the song title, as Jeremy Wilson is writing on jazzstandards.com: Depending on whom you believe, it was a favorite saying of James “Bubber” Miley, who played the trumpet [...]
