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!

Word Association Wednesday: Getting Misty

Following Sunday’s trip through the fog with Duke’s Misty Mornin’,my brain naturally stayed in the clouds. Sometimes the word association is so iconic you just have to go with the heavyweight champ: Erroll Garner and his 1954 masterpiece, Misty.

But Misty didn't just stay a piano solo; it became a vehicle for some of the greatest instrumentalists in the game.

The Original: Erroll Garner (1954)

Legend has it Garner composed this in his head while watching a rainbow through the hazy window of a plane. Since he couldn't read music, he had to hum it to himself all the way to a piano! 

Let's spin the Mercury record with his trio:

Dig that "behind the beat" left hand!

The Contemporary Cover: Richard Hayman (1955)

If you take a look at the sheet music at the top of the page, you'll notice that it mentions both Erroll's and Richard Hayman's recordings of the tune - both on Mercury Records. Me being me, I feel the need to give Richard Hayman's version a whirl!

Here he is with harmonica and orchestra from 1955:

Richard Hayman certainly had a way of taking the novelty out of the harmonica to play a smooth ballad!

The Big Band Bloom: Count Basie (1960)

By 1960, the Atomic-era Basie band took a crack at it for the "Dance Along with Basie" album on Roulette Records. This version features a gorgeous, deep-timbered solo by baritone saxophonist Charlie Fowlkes:

That's just wonderful! Charlie was the anchor of the Basie reed section for decades, and he makes that big horn sound as light as air here.

The Soul-Jazz Burner: Richard "Groove" Holmes (1966)

If you think Misty is just a sleepy ballad, Groove Holmes is here to change your mind. He puts the tune on the Hammond B-3 organ, kicks the bass pedals, and absolutely cooks it. It’s Misty with some serious groove:

Whether it’s the piano genius of Erroll, the smooth harmonica of Richard Hayman, the big-band swing of Basie and Fowlkes, or the soul-jazz organ of Groove Holmes—they can all play Misty for me!

Which version is clear as a bell to you?

I'll throw it out there to say that the model on Groove's LP looks the mistiest!

For a little bonus, here's a link  to Erroll Garner playing Misty on the Ed Sullivan show in 1961:

Nice!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 54 - Ella!

As we continue with "Jingle Bells," we run into Ella Fitzgerald!

We recently heard her singing with bandleader Chick Webb, with whom she had made her reputation. After Webb's death in 1939, Ella took over the band for a few years before launching her brilliant solo career.

I never really "got" this artwork!

As with most singers of the day, Ella recorded a Christmas album, the terrific "Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas" on Verve Records in 1960.

From that album is this single, featuring "Jingle Bells":

She definitely delivers on her promise of a swinging Christmas! Solid accompaniment from arranger/conductor Frank De Vol!

The flipside of that single features the Count Basie number "Good Morning Blues":

I think that's an intriguing choice!

I always thought it was interesting that the title of the song "Good Morning Blues" does not indicate in any way that it's Christmas-related. 

Ella starts the song with the Christmas verse to make it more of a Christmas song, which is not how Count Basie recorded it. And the sheet music for Ella's version throws Santa in the subtitle!

Here's Basie's original, on Decca Records from 1937, featuring the great Jimmy Rushing with the vocal:

That's an awesome record, but you wouldn't know it's Christmas-related until almost the end!

The label of this later reissue shows the band members:

Wow, that is a tremendous lineup!

Count Basie later had another great blues singer in the person of Joe Williams and they cut a great version of "Good Mornin' Blues" (losing a G along the way) for Roulette Records in 1959:

So, some awesome recordings of that song!

Back to Ella, her 1960 album is a must, but she also had recorded a Christmas single for Verve Records in 1959 with a more mellow backing from Russ Garcia.

The A-side is "The Secret of Christmas," which was introduced by Bing Crosby in the then-current movie "Say One for Me":

Very lovely!

The flip side is "The Christmas Song" in a totally different arrangement from that on the album:

Ella never disappoints!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 37 - Cha Cha Cha!

We land in 1959 with "Jingle Bells" and popular entertainer Pearl Bailey with this single on Roulette Records:

Hey, we've had a few Mambos, so why not a Cha Cha Cha?

The flipside of that record is a fun novelty Christmas song:

I think both sides are a lot of fun. Pearl Bailey had a ton of personality and it really shines through on that record!

"Billboard" agrees:

Swinging back around to Dinah Shore, here's a clip of Pearl on Dinah's show from 1960:

We go back a year to 1958 (I think!) for this odd but fun track by the Capitol Studio Orchestra:

I believe that track was first released on the "Christmas Cocktails" CD in 1996. Whatever the case, it's very 1950s hi-fi!

For another Cha Cha take on "Jingle Bells," we jump all the way to 2004 with this instrumental by Big Bad Voodoo Day from their album "Everything You Want for Christmas":

Cool take!

And here's a version from from the David Ricard Big Band's 2015 album "Holiday Swingin'":

Good to know the Cha Cha is still around!