Sundays with Duke #15: Swinging Into 1932

As we step into 1932 with Duke Ellington, we hit another landmark - It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)!

The wild part? This became the anthem of the Swing Era… before the Swing Era even existed. Duke was out here naming the decade before anyone else had even sharpened a pencil!

The Origin Story

The story goes that the famous phrase - came from Bubber Miley - you remember him, the growl‑trumpet wizard whose sound practically defined early Ellington. Bubber sadly passed away just months after the song was recorded, but his spirit is baked right into the tune. Even after he left the band, that line stuck around like a beloved inside joke. Duke and Irving Mills turned it into a song, and suddenly the band had a slogan that doubled as a life philosophy.

Let’s spin the original Brunswick recording with Ivie Anderson on the vocal:

This doesn’t sound like anything else from 1932. It feels timeless.

A couple things jump out:

• Ivie isn’t just “the singer” - she’s part of the arrangement. Her voice weaves in and out of the band like another horn.
• The soloists are on fire. Bubber's old cohort “Tricky Sam” Nanton growls his way through the trombone chorus, and Johnny Hodges takes over with his alto like he’s been waiting all day for someone to hand him the spotlight!

The song became a signature tune for Duke, and he kept revisiting it over the decades - reshaping it to fit the moment. Let’s hop through a few of those versions.

The 1940s: Swagger and Canaries

Jumping ahead to 1943, we get this terrific arrangement featuring Ray Nance and Taft Jordan sharing the vocal.

Fun detail: tenor man Al Sears gets label billing on the V‑Disc. He’s great, but honestly everyone’s cooking here - it's an embarrassment of riches!

And to see them in action, here’s a clip from an RKO Jamboree short with basically the same arrangement:

Ray Nance singing and playing violin, Taft Jordan singing and playing trumpet, Al Sears tearing it up… but the highlight for me is Tricky Sam’s trombone solo. Watching him work that plunger mute is pure joy!

Maria, Kay, Joya

Next up, a 1945 version featuring Joya Sherrill with Kay Davis and Maria Ellington joining in.

Not sure how this was originally released, but this Victor label is from Sweden.

Funny twist: Al Sears doesn’t get label credit here, but his solo is actually longer than in the 1943 version.

The trio of canaries sounds fantastic. And no - Maria Ellington was not related to Duke, but she did become related to another great jazz pianist when she later married Nat King Cole!

And did I mention I have a retro crush on Joya? Because I do!

The 1950s & 60s: The Duke, the Queen and the King

Now we get to Ella! This version comes from the 1958 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book, though it was recorded in 1956 with a small group rather than the Ellington orchestra and is not technically an Ellington recording,

We’ve got Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Nance swinging the violin, with Ella's personal pianist Paul Smith rather than Duke. We'll say it's Ellington-adjacent!

Ella makes the song seem like it was written for her!

To make up for Duke not being on that track, here’s a treat: Duke and Ella performing it together on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1965:

How fun is that? Even Ed seemed to be excited!

Next, from 1961 comes an extended instrumental version from the intriguingly titled Columbia album Piano in the Background:

It’s a fascinating reimagining - looser, roomier, and full of that early‑’60s Ellington glow.

Ray Nance handles the trumpet solo. Ray could also dance, sing, and play violin, which is why the band called him Floorshow!

Now it's 1963 and another titan enters the chat. Louis Armstrong joins Duke on this version from the Roulette album The Great Reunion:

Satch even sings the rarely‑heard verse!

The small group includes old friend Barney Bigard on clarinet and Jimmie Lunceford alum Trummy Young on trombone. The group may be small in size, but it's huge on talent!

The Final Bow: 1973

To close the loop, we go to Duke’s final studio sessions, which teamed him with the ever-delightful Teresa Brewer for the Flying Dutchman album It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing. Teresa is joined by tap legend Bunny Briggs on the vocal:

It’s a fun, spirited version - and it’s wonderful to hear Ray Nance still in the band, along with Harry Carney, Duke’s longest‑serving sideman, still providing that baritone bedrock 40 years later!

And that’s our swing‑through‑the‑decades tour!

From 1932 to 1973, Duke kept this tune alive, reshaping it, refreshing it, and proving - over and over - that it really does mean a thing 'cuz he's always got that swing!