Where Swing is King!
“The Minor Goes Muggin’” Composed and arranged by Sy Oliver. Recorded by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra for Victor on May 14, 1945 in New York. Thomas F. Dorsey, Jr., first and solo trombone, directing: [..]
“Johnny Come Lately” (Originally titled “Plain Time”; later “Stomp.”) (*) Composed and arranged by Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on June 26,1942 in Hollywood. Billy Strayhorn, piano, directing: Wallace [..]
“Jack the Bear” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on March 6, 1940 in Chicago. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Wallace Jones, first trumpet; Cootie Williams, trumpet; [..]
“Just a-Settin’ and a-Rockin’” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn . Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on June 5, 1941 in Hollywood. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Wallace Jones, [..]
“Flamingo” Composed by Ted Grouya (music) and Edmund Anderson (lyric); arranged by Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on December 28, 1940 in Chicago. Duke Ellington, piano, and Billy Strayhorn, [..]
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”* (First known as “Never No Lament”) Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on May 4, 1940 in Hollywood. Duke Ellington, piano, [..]
“Creole Love Call” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on October 26, 1927 in Camden, New Jersey. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: James Wesley “Bubber” Miley, Louis [..]
“Solitude” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on January 10, 1934 in Chicago. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Arthur Whetsel, Freddie Jenkins, Louis Bacon and Cootie Williams, [..]
“What Am I Here For?” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on February 26,1942 in New York. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Wallace Jones, first trumpet; Ray [..]
“Blood Count” Composed and arranged by Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for RCA Victor on August 28, 1967 in New York. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Herbie Jones, William “Cat” Anderson, Mercer [..]
“I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So” Composed by Duke Ellington (music) and Mack David (lyric); arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on November 26, 1945 in New York. Duke [..]
“Clementine” Composed and arranged by Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on July 2, 1941 in Hollywood. Duke Ellington, piano; directing: Wallace Jones and Ray Nance, trumpets; Rex Stewart, cornet; [..]
“Bakiff” Composed by Juan Tizol; arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on June 5, 1941 for Victor in Hollywood. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Wallace Jones trumpet; Rex Stewart, cornet; Juan [..]
“Drop Me Off in Harlem” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Brunswick on February 16, 1933 in New York. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Arthur Whetsel, first trumpet; [..]
“I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on March 3, 1938 for Brunswick in New York. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: [..]
“The Sergeant Was Shy” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on August 28, 1939 for Columbia in New York. (# See note below.) Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Wallace [..]
“Concerto for Cootie” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on March 15,1940 in Chicago. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Wallace Jones, first trumpet; Rex Stewart, cornet; Cootie [..]
“Something to Live For” Composed and arranged by Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on December 20, 1965 in Hollywood, California. Ella Fitzgerald, vocal; with Duke Ellington, directing: William [..]
“Gypsy Without a Song” Composed by Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol and Lou Singer; arranged by Lou Singer. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Master/Brunswick on June 20, 1938 in New York. Duke Ellington, [..]
“4:30 Blues” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra in concert on November 25-26, 1969 in Manchester, England. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: William “Cat” Anderson, Charles M. “Cootie” Williams, [..]
“Morning Glory” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on March 6, 1940 in Chicago. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Wallace Jones, first trumpet, Cootie Williams, trumpet, Rex [..]
“Rocks in My Bed” Composed by Duke Ellington; arranged by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on September 29, 1941 in Hollywood, California. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: [..]
With this post, swingandbeyond.com celebrates two milestones: our 100th post, and our 30,000th viewer. I am delighted that so many people are interested in this thing called swing. I have quite a few new ideas [..]
Very recently, swingandbeyond.com has hosted its 20,000th viewer! That is very good news for me and for everyone who likes this thing called swing. This blog has been up and running since March of 2016. [..]
“Blue Reverie” Composed by Duke Ellington and Harry Carney; arranged by Duke Ellington. Recorded by Cootie Williams and His Rug Cutters for Variety on March 8-9, 1937 in New York. Edward K. “Duke” Ellington, piano, [..]
“Happy-Go-Lucky Local” Composed and arranged by Duke Ellington, with probable revisions in Duke’s original arrangement by Mercer Ellington. Recorded by Mercer Ellington with The Duke Ellington Orchestra for Fantasy on May 12, 1975 in New [..]
“Reflections in D” Composed by Duke Ellington Recorded by Duke Ellington for Capitol on April 13,1953 in Los Angeles. Duke Ellington, piano; Wendell Marshall, bass. The story and the music: “When an art form is created, [..]
“Sepia Panorama” Composed by Duke Ellington; arranged by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on July 24, 1940 in New York. Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Charles M. “Cootie” Williams, [..]
They both grew up in Pittsburgh at the same time, the 1920s and 1930s, and knew each other. They were about the same age. But they were very different people. One was big and boisterous; [..]
MANHATTAN’S BRILL BUILDING A JAZZ SHOWCASE AND MUSICAL SHRINE I am constantly looking for historic buildings that are a part of the fabric of jazz history whenever I am in Manhattan. One building I have [..]