Monday Side-Session; More Things That Swing

We follow up on Duke Ellington’s classic It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) with a handful of covers and remakes - and there have been a zillion.

We start right in 1932, hot on the heels of Duke’s original, with three versions from the same year...

🎙️ The Mills Brothers (Brunswick, 1932)

I really dig those early‑’30s Mills Brothers records where they imitate musical instruments and John Jr. handles the bass notes and the guitar. They make the whole thing feel like a pocket orchestra.

🎶 The Boswell Sisters (Brunswick, 1932)

The Boswell Sisters’ records just don’t sound like anything else — they’re their own little universe of harmony, rhythm, and mischief.

With Duke’s original, that makes three Brunswick versions in 1932. Not bad for a tune that had barely cooled on the bandstand!

RWK was on the cover of Time in 1927 at age 19!

🎺 Roger Wolfe Kahn & His Orchestra (Columbia, 1932)

A full‑blown early‑’30s dance‑band treatment with a croony vocal trio - and, if the discographers are right, a young Artie Shaw on clarinet! It’s fascinating to hear the song refracted through that pre‑Swing‑Era lens.

As with many hit songs of the 1930s, after the initial flurry of recordings, the tune went quiet for a while. Labels didn’t really remake older songs yet. But by 1939, a couple of intriguing revivals pop up...

🥁 Lionel Hampton (Victor, 1939)

Hamp was always digging up older tunes for the pickup groups he led on his Victor side-hustle while moonlighting from the Benny Goodman band. He always sounds great - pure energy.

🤠 The Tune Wranglers (Bluebird, 1939)

A Duke Ellington song played by a 1930s cowboy band? You know I'm in! It’s a blast, but vocalist Red Brown sings, “If you haven’t got that swing.” Wouldn’t you expect a cowboy to say ain’t?

Jumping ahead to the 1950s, we get three more gems...

🎤 Al Hibbler (Chess, 1951)

Former Ellington vocalist Al Hibbler sounds terrific here, and that Tricky Sam Nanton‑inspired trombone solo - maybe Matthew Gee - is a knockout!

🎙️ Mel Tormé (Coral, 1954)

This tune sits right in Mel’s wheelhouse. His version also features some Tricky Sam‑style trombone, likely courtesy of big‑band veteran Murray McEachern.

🌙 June Christy (Capitol, 1958)

The Misty Miss Christy included this on her album June’s Got Rhythm, and yes - June’s got rhythm all right!

This is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to versions of It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), but these are some of my favorites - and they all mean something.