Duke Ellington – Jazz Composer

Textbook:
Understanding Music 8th Edition
by Jeremy Yudkin

From textbook – ” One of the most important musicians in the history of Jazz was Duke Ellington. Ellington was a pianist, a composer, and a bandleader. He wrote the music for the song “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” and his band manager Irving Mills wrote the lyrics. The song was recorded in 1932, a few years before the period known as the Swing Era, and was the first song to use the word “swing” in its title. Swing is the rhythm you feel in a jazz piece that makes you want to move in some way-from dancing with your whole body to just tapping your foot. The song suggests that a jazz piece is no good if it doesn’t have that special feel.” (Chapt. 3.2)

It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)
Date of performance: 1932
Orchestration: voice, three trumpets, two trombones, three saxophones, piano, banjo, bass, drums
Duration: 3:11
Well, this piece certainly swings! The driving bass is contrasted with the lively melody, the trumpets and trombones are juxtaposed with the saxophones, and the improvised solos on muted trombone and alto saxophone are sensational. The word “ain’t” in the lyrics is sung to a “blue note,” a note that is half a step lower than you expect. (Try singing the word “ain’t” to the same note as the word “thing”—it sounds so “proper” and boring!)
The performance begins with some improvisation (making the music up as you go along) by the vocalist. (A singer making up sounds, such as “wa-da doo,” is said to be “scatting.”) Then there is an improvised trombone solo based on the tune of the song. After the first chorus of the song, the alto saxophone improvises on the tune. Then there’s a bit more scatting before the final fade-out. It’s amazing how catchy the music is and how much variety Ellington manages to get into a three-minute song.

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