I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good was written and recorded in 1941 by Duke Ellington…..along with another great song during that year….as Take The A Train gave Duke two smash hits in that year….and then in 1980, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts put on a very special night billed as Salute to the Duke ….which featured…
As seen in this video herewith….legendary jazz singer Sarah Vaughan sings a Duke Ellington classic “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart“ in 1980 live at the Kennedy Center’s tribute to Duke Ellingtonis….for this 1938 composition by Duke Ellington….with lyrics added by Irving Mills, Henry Nemo and John Redmond ….became a # 1 hit for Ellington that year…..while…
“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)“ is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington…. whose lyrics were written by Irving Mills…..which is now accepted as a jazz standard….as jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as “now legendary” and “a prophetic piece and a prophetic title”. The music was composed and arranged by Ellington in August 1931 during…
Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist and leader of a jazz orchestra….which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than fifty years. Although Duke was born in Washington, D.C….he lived in New York City from the mid-1920’s until his death….while gaining a national profile through…
Duke Ellington was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1965….but no prize was ultimately awarded that year…..and being then 66 years old, he joked….”Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn’t want me to be famous too young.”….and in 1999 he was posthumously awarded a special Pulitzer Prize “commemorating the centennial year of his birth, in recognition of…
As the Depression worsened….the recording industry was in crisis….while dropping over 90% of its artists by 1933….that is when Ivie Anderson was hired as the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s featured vocalist in 1931….as she is the vocalist on “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” in 1932….while Sonny Greer had been providing occasional vocals….and as…
Joe Williams had a powerful voice with a smooth delivery that provide some of the best jazz vocals to ever grace the stage…..and after spending years on the road with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and the Count Bassie Orchestra….he join Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Max Roach and Billy Taylor + His All Star Orchestra to…
Joe Williams (December 12, 1918 – March 29, 1999) was an American jazz singer….who sang with big bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra….and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra….plus with his combos…. while singing in two films with the Basie orchestra….and sometimes he worked as an actor. Williams worked as a singer and bouncer in Chicago in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s….when he began singing…
“I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)“ is a pop and jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster….which was published in 1941…..and was introduced in the musical revue Jump for Joy by Ivie Anderson….who also provided vocals for Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on single Victor 27531. The true measure of a great song is evidenced by the number…