One good thing leads to another, right? Especially when the good thing is Duke Ellington. This is a “soundie” from 1943. “Soundies” were cheaply filmed musical performances. The band is actually playing, but the soundtrack is pre-recorded, so what you see doesn’t always match what you hear, allowing the musicians to ham it up if they pleased. Ellington, who always sought the limelight but looked uncomfortable when he got it, is the biggest offender.
That’s Ray Nance who plays the violin and sings on “It Don’t Mean A Thing.” I can’t identify the tall trumpeter who also vocals. It’s “Tricky Sam” Nanton doing the fantastic growl trombone. According to “Lualaba” at YouTube “That ya-ya sound is his own. He’s not singing, nor humming nor tonguing. He gets the ya-ya by positioning his tongue within the oral cavity, shaping vowels such as "ee” and “ah” and switching between.“
Ben Webster solos on tenor on "It Don’t Mean A Thing.” The final piece, “Don’t Get Around Much Any More” is the sole province of Johnny Hodges.
According to “bminorscales,” also at YouTube, the appearance of both Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet) and Ben Webster give the date as 1943, because Hamilton joined in that year and Webster left.
