Video: Duke Ellington Orchestra – 'It don't mean a thing'

16 December 2011 — 30s Jazz on the Tube

1943 footage of the Duke Ellington Orchestra performing the swing era anthem “It Don’t Mean A Thing” with the singing of violinist and trumpeter Ray Nance, and trombonist ‘Tricky’ Sam Nanton. The song’s title was a derived from a saying often used by the Ellington Band’s former trumpet player Bubber Miley.

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