Re; Duke Ellington quotes

[Fred Shapiro]

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006, George Thompson wrote:

> "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing"
>
> If I recall correctly, Ellington was quoting his early trumpeter,
> Bubber Miley.  Will attempt to verify this, upon request.

What I already had in my book is the quote under Irving Mills, with an
annotation: "Duke Ellington noted in Jazz Journal, Dec. 1965, that
trumpeter Bubba Miley was the first man he had heard use this expression."

Fred Shapiro


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