The Duality of Duke Ellington:
An Aesthetic and Compositional Comparison of
“Concerto for Cootie” and “Do Nothin’ ‘Till You Hear from Me”
Jason Mitchell
Rutgers University-Newark
Dr. John Wriggle
Fall 2013
Art music and popular music are not often synonymous by today’s standards, but in the
swing period of jazz, there was less of a discernable difference. We now celebrate jazz as an art
form, but during the late 1930s and early 1940s, jazz was, in fact, the popular music in America.
There were a few composers during that period that skirted the line between art and popular
demand. One such composer to straddle that line and rise to fame and success was Duke
Ellington.
Ellington’s works are spread across the spectrum of classifications ranging from the
simple AABA, pop chart to the elaborate, intensely orchestrated suite for jazz orchestra. As one
might expect, there was often an overlap between the two. In the case of the current study, the
overlap in question is the relationship between “Concerto for Cootie” and “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You
Hear from Me.” In examining each piece’s aesthetics, orchestration, form, and selected
recordings, we will have a better understanding of the duality of the two works.
The origins of the pieces themselves are intriguing. The concerto is attributed to
Ellington in all of its recordings and publications, however, according to Charles “Cootie”
Williams’s oral history, it was the trumpeter that wrote the piece. He noted that all the band
members were contributing pieces to the band’s repertory at the time. They would sell them to
Ellington for $25. In the case of “Concerto for Cootie,” Williams claims he had to beg Ellington
to take the composition. Whether this story is true or not, we do not know. Until there is
definitive evidence, scholars and historians are left to assume that it was Ellington’s hand that
penned the piece.1
1 Charles “Cootie” Williams, interview by Williams, Jazz Oral History Collection, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers
University-Newark, Newark, NJ.
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” is often confused with “Concerto for Cootie.” It is
easy to do so, because they share a common thematic line as well as similar harmonies. “Do
Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” is indeed an Ellington piece; Bob Russell contributed the lyrics. It
is logical to ask why Ellington reworked “Concerto for Cootie” into the popular tune that “Do
Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” would become. The theory, taken as an assumed truth within
the confines of this paper, is that Ellington reworked the piece because he did not feel that any
other trumpet player’s sound would fit the tone of the piece after Williams left the band.
Ellington did the same thing when Johnny Hodges passed away; he removed the majority of the
pieces that featured Hodges from the band’s repertory. Granted, Williams did not die, he
simply took a job with Benny Goodman.2 In fact, it was only a few short months after recording
“Concerto for Cootie” for the first time until he left the group in the fall of 1940. (The first
recording of the work was on March 15, earlier that year.)
“Concerto for Cootie” is just that, a concerto. It is a composition written with the
intention of showcasing a particular performer’s talent. In that way, it is not dissimilar from the
caveats of the classical concerto. The performer has the freedom of expression in how they
phrase or embellish the melody, though the melody is mostly written out and not improvised.
Therein lies a complication. “Concerto for Cootie” does not have a section for improvisation.
Many neo-classicists in jazz would say that the work has forsaken the very fundamentals of jazz
by removing the improvised element. The debate of what is or what is not jazz based on a
concrete criteria is not within the scope of this paper and so will not be dealt with. Regardless,
2 Duke Ellington, Music is My Mistress, (Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 1976), 120.
there are certain implications in saying that “Concerto for Cootie” is more reminiscent of art
music like that of the western classical tradition.
Andre Hodeir addresses this in his article “A Masterpiece: Concerto for Cootie.”3 Hodeir
bases his entire article on the perspective of viewing the piece through the lens of the western
classical tradition as opposed to the standpoint of seeing the piece as a work of jazz. He
proceeds to qualify the composition in much the same fashion that critics and journalists of the
Classic period might, judging it based on the principles of balance, purity, and unity. Hodeir
then comments, in discussing the orchestra’s role (something this paper will discuss below,)
that the piece “displays an economy of means that is the sign of real classicism.”4 He even
equates Ellington to Mozart later in the article. 5
Still, the reality is that “Concerto for Cootie” is indeed a jazz concerto. It incorporates
elements of the classical concerto and elements of jazz. It is these elements of jazz—swing,
syncopation, orchestration, timbre, and unique sonorous effects—that sets this piece aside
from a concerto from the early 1800s, for example.
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” has a less high-brow aesthetic. With the addition of
lyrics and certain differences in structure and orchestration, the piece lends itself more to the
popular music realm than that of a jazz concerto that alludes to classical art music conventions.
Ellington first recorded the piece during a broadcast from the Hurricane Restaurant in New York
City on August 14, 1943. He did not record it in the studio until 1947, but there were several
3 Andre Hodeir, “A Masterpiece: Concerto for Cootie,” in The Duke Ellington Reader, ed. Mark Tucker (New York,
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993), 276-288. 4 Hodeir, 282. 5 Ibid.
recordings of the piece from broadcasts and concerts before then. Strangely enough, Ellington
was not the first person to record the piece. The first known recording of the tune was
recorded by Hal McIntyre in late 1942 or early 1943 for his album Ecstasy. Harry James
recorded another version of it on July 28, 1943, seventeen days before Ellington would record
his.
The two pieces, though similar in melody, contrast in a number of ways. First of all, the
most obvious way is through the addition of lyrics. Furthermore, “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from
Me” continues to enjoy more recognition both by the public and musicians, perhaps due to its
popular music connotations. Hodeir even goes as far as to call it the “commercial version” of
“Concerto for Cootie.”6 Also, “Concerto for Cootie” has been recorded a total of 36 times since
1940; its popularized version has been recorded over 566 times. There is reason to question
those figures, though. There is evidence that each piece has been recorded under the auspices
of the other a number of times. One example is Cat Anderson’s 1958 recording of “Concerto for
Cootie” for his album, Cat Anderson Plays at 4 A.M. It is labeled as “Concerto for Cootie,” but it
is actually “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me.”
How do we as listeners distinguish the difference between the two? Perhaps the most
telling aspect is each tune’s form. “Concerto for Cootie,” as seen in Figure 1, utilizes a 10
measure A section, an 8 measure B, and a 16 measure C section. The C section is actually two 8
measure blues progressions played back to back. Interestingly enough, Hodeir creates an
outline of the form in his article. (Figure 1 is based on his outline.) Perhaps not surprisingly, his
outline divides the work using terms and a layout similar to that of the sonata form. He has the
6 Hodeir, 278.
“exposition,” which is the first AABA statement. Then he calls the C section the “middle
section,” but it can be seen as the development section. His final section, which would normally
be termed the recapitulation, is labeled as the “re-exposition.”7 This ability to delineate the
form in a manner similar to that of a sonata form lends credence to the work being a piece of
jazz art music, thus setting it farther apart from “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me.”
Figure 1: Form of “Concerto for Cootie”
Introduction 8 measures
A Key of F major 10 measures
A’ 10 measures
B 8 measures
A” 10 measures
Transition Modulation 2 measures
C (Two 8 measure blues
forms)
Key of Db Major 16 measures
Transition Modulation 2 measures
A’’’ Key of F major 6 measures
Coda 10 measures
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” utilizes 8 measure sections within an AABA form as
seen in Figure 2. Ellington did include a 4 measure introduction and an 8 measure coda as
opposed to the 8 measures and 10 measures used respectively for each part in “Concerto for
7 Hodeir, 279.
Cootie.” Ellington also retains the key of F major throughout the piece, where as in “Concerto
for Cootie,” he changed keys to Db major in the C section. His form in “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear
from Me” is different in that he begins the piece with an introduction, not so radical, but he
then proceeds to play two A sections followed by an interlude before beginning the full AABA
form. These two A sections are important from an orchestration standpoint and will be
discussed below. Though Ellington does utilize the popular AABA song form, it is augmented by
the use of the interlude and the extended coda. Tag endings were common, but the use of a full
coda was not as prevalent in popular music. It is this formal structure that truly sets the two
pieces apart and allows us to immediate distinguish one from the other.
Figure 2: Form of “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me”
Introduction Solo piano 4 measures
A Key of F; trumpet 8 measures
A Trombone 8 measures
Interlude Solo piano using material
from introduction
4 measures
A Vocal entrance 8 measures
A Trumpet fill – last 2 measures 8 measures
B 8 measures
A Trumpet starts coda – last 2
measures
8 measures
Coda Trumpet 8 measures
Another key difference between the two pieces is the role of the orchestra. Of course,
Williams is the featured musician throughout the entirety of “Concerto for Cootie”, but the
orchestra behind the trumpet is rather uninvolved. There are only ten measures in the entire
piece that have the whole band scored together, in measures 5–7 and 72–78. (See Appendix 1
for a transcription of these excerpts.) The majority of the time, he assigns the accompaniment
roles to individual sections. Ellington does allow for more interesting rhythmic and melodic
figures in individual sections periodically but only when the soloist is not playing. Example 1 is
an excerpt from the woodwind parts at measures 14–17 showing one of the more rhythmic and
melodically interesting accompaniment parts in the score.
Example 1: “Concerto for Cootie,” Saxophone Section, Measures 14–17
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” is distinctly different in that there is no featured
soloist, though the trumpeter, Ray Nance, is still featured quite heavily. The first 8 measures,
the first statement of the A section features the trumpet like the concerto did, but the leading
line is given to the trombone in the following second statement of the A section. Nance is then
again featured in a fill that acts as a truncated interlude between the second A of the vocal
chorus and the succeeding B section. Nance is then featured again in the coda that is actually
began in the concluding measures of the last A section. During the half chorus at the beginning
of the piece that features the trumpet and trombone, the orchestra is somewhat more active
than in “Concerto for Cootie,” playing a bit more robustly in their backgrounds conjuring a
much denser texture than in the concerto. The orchestration is then lightened when the
vocalist enters. Incidentally, the band resumes their robustness during the coda.
To fully understand both tunes, it is important to not only consider the first recordings
by Duke Ellington; it is also crucial to examine recordings of both tunes by different artists and
in different time periods. As stated above, there is an oddly disproportional divide in the
number of times each tune was recorded. What is more important is what caused the divide.
The reason Ellington did not record any more versions of “Concerto for Cootie” was rationalized
earlier, but why did no one else record it more often? One possible explanation is that since
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” had more exposure to the general public as a popular tune,
more musicians picked it up hoping to ride the same success that Ellington had. Since the tune
was written and recorded during the time period of Tin Pan Alley, this theory is highly plausible.
Plus, with the added vocals, there might have been a deeper public appreciation than there
might have been for the instrumental concerto. It is hard to deny that jazz musicians, as with
popular musicians, depend on a certain level of public appeal to earn a living.
For the purpose of this paper, a select few recordings were chosen to provide a
sampling of other approaches to the two compositions. Two additional recordings of “Concerto
for Cootie” were chosen for discussion: Benny Goodman’s from 1941 and Arturo Sandoval’s
from 2003. Both recordings actually use the same Ellington arrangement.
Goodman’s recording is unique because, since Williams left Ellington to join him in the
fall of 1940, it featured Williams on trumpet as well. The arrangement might be the same, but
the trumpet player takes a few more liberties with phrasing and experiments in timbre and
textures. In the Ellington recording, he was seemingly more reserved and careful with how he
colored a specific passage. Consider measures 10 and 11 for instance. Example 2 is an excerpt
of the transcription from the original 1940 version with Ellington. Example 3 is a transcription of
the same measures from the 1941 Goodman recording. He has taken the relatively simple
melodic figure of the original recording and extended it rhythmically and harmonically, adding
more chord extensions.
Example 2: “Concerto For Cootie,” Measures 10–11, Ellington (1940)
Example 3: “Concerto for Cootie,” Measures 10–11, Goodman (1941)
Sandoval’s version is actually more aligned with the original. He does not recreate the
piece exactly, but he retains the rhythmic feel unlike Williams’s recording with Goodman.
The exception to this is Sandoval’s A’’’ section and coda. He becomes much more improvisatory
and deviates from Williams’s original conclusion.
Another recording of note, which was mentioned above, is Cat Anderson’s version from
1958. Anderson does not actually record “Concerto for Cootie;” he recorded an instrumental
version of “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me.” This is evidenced in the form. His recording is an
8 measure AABA form which is indicative of the pop tune, not the concerto. His recording is
interesting in that it utilizes a 12/8 blues feel. He also changes the coda to a blues much like the
C section of “Concerto for Cootie.”
The additional recordings chosen for “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” are Nat King
Cole’s May 23, 1944 recording, the Count Basie ghost band’s version from May of 1989, and
Duke Ellington’s own recording from his live date with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1965. Each
of the three of these versions offers a unique perspective on the piece overall.
The first, Nat King Cole’s trio version, was most likely the first time the piece had been
recorded as a small group. His instrumentation for his trio was interesting because instead of
using a conventional piano, bass, drums trio, he used a piano, bass, and guitar. The largest
difference between this recording and the others is that there is more importance placed on
the actual vocals and lyrics. In the original Ellington recording, the orchestra plays through the
entire form once with no vocals. Cole’s arrangement has the vocals coming in immediately.
The Count Basie version is noteworthy because it is a purely instrumental version of the
pop tune that features a soloist much like “Concerto for Cootie” did. In contrast to the concerto
that featured the trumpet, the 1989 recording of “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” featured
the tenor saxophone as well as incorporated elements of improvisation. It is a much different
texture and timbre, and it is absent of vocals. We learned of Cat Anderson’s mislabeled
recording via the tune’s form; in the case of this recording, the form in turn verifies that it is in
fact “Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” due to its 32 measure AABA song form.
Ellington’s 1965 Boston Pops Orchestra recording is intriguing in that Ellington did not
create the arrangement. The arrangement was done by Richard Hayman, the principle arranger
for the Boston Pops. It is also interesting that it blurs the lines of popular and art music yet
again. It was performed by a symphony orchestra and solo pianist much like a piano concerto
would be. The elements that uphold the recording’s popular music nomenclature is the fact
that it was a pops orchestra as well as the tune itself.
Overall, the two pieces explore two sides of Ellington’s career. “Concerto for Cootie”
represents the art music faction that includes his many suites and long-form works. “Do Nothin’
‘Til You Hear from Me” exemplifies his popular works. What makes these two compositions
even more intriguing is that they are two expressions of the same melody that reach two
different goals. As we saw in Ellington’s 1965 collaboration with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the
two perspectives of the same piece often overlapped, much like Ellington’s career as a whole. It
is this dichotomy of art music and popular music that helped set Ellington apart from other
composers of his time period and put him on the same level of the classical composers to
whom he is often compared.
Works Cited
Ellington, Duke. Music is My Mistress. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 1976.
Tucker, Mark. ed. The Duke Ellington Reader. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1993.
Williams, Charles “Cootie.” Interview by Williams. Jazz Oral History Collection. Institute of Jazz
Studies, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ.
Selected Discography
Concerto for Cootie
Duke Ellington
Rex Stewart (cnt) Cootie Williams, Wallace Jones (tp) Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton, Juan Tizol,
Lawrence Brown (tb) Barney Bigard (cl) Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick (as) Ben Webster (ts)
Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington (p) Fred Guy (g) Jimmy Blanton (b) Sonny Greer (d)
Chicago, IL, March 15, 1940
“Concerto for Cootie” Vic 26598, LPM1715, LPM10063, RCA (F)730565,
FPM1-7047, 75541, (E)RD27133, Cam 60207,
Giants of Jazz 53046 [CD], Deja Vu DVCD2014 [CD]
Jazz Roots 56012 [CD], Le Jazz (E)CD2 [CD],
ASV Living Era (E)AJA5310 [CD], Charly
(G)CPCD8259-2 [CD], Empress (E)RAJCD842 [CD],
Fine Tune 1103-2 [CD], Hallmark (E)330222 [CD],
RCA Victor 09026-63130-2 [CD], Masters of Jazz
(F)MJCD1303 [CD], Black & Blue (F)59.233-
2/MU777 [CD], RCA Bluebird 60090-2 [CD],
Time-Life STL-J02, RCA (Eu)ND89750 [CD],
Membran (G)222427-444 [CD],
Properbox (E)25 [CD]
Benny Goodman
Billy Butterfield, Cootie Williams, Jimmy Maxwell, Al "Slim" Davis (tp) Lou McGarity, Cutty
Cutshall (tb) Benny Goodman (cl) Skippy Martin, Clint Neagley (as) Vido Musso, George Berg (ts)
Chuck Gentry (bs) Mel Powell (p) Tom Morgan (g) Marty Blitz (b) Sidney Catlett (d)
Broadcast, “Meadowbrook,” Cedar Grove, NJ, September 14, 1941
“Concerto for Cootie” Honeysuckle Rose HR 5004/5005, VJC 1032 [CD]
Arturo Sandoval
Trumpet Evolution, New York, 2003
“Concerto for Cootie” Crescent Moon/Columbia 87195 [CD]
Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me
Duke Ellington
Taft Jordan, Wallace Jones, Harold "Shorty" Baker (tp) Ray Nance (tp) Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton,
Lawrence Brown (tb) Juan Tizol (tb) Jimmy Hamilton (cl,ts) Nat Jones (cl,as) Johnny Hodges (as) Elmer
"Skippy" Williams (ts) Harry Carney (bar,cl,b-cl) Duke Ellington (p) Fred Guy (g) Junior Raglin (b) Sonny
Greer (d) Al Hibbler (vcl)
CBS Broadcast, “Hurricane Restaurant,” New York, August 14, 1943
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” Hurricane HC6002
Duke Ellington (p), John Lamb (b), Louie Bellson (d), The Boston Pops Orchestra, Richard Hayman (arr)
“Tanglewood Music Barn,” Lenox, MA, July 28, 1965
“Do Nothin’ ‘TIl You Hear from Me” Vic LPM2857, RCA LSP10068,
Hal McIntyre
Louis Mucci, Steady Nelson, Bill Robbins, Clarence Willard (tp) Jimmy Emert, Vic Hamen (tb) Howard
Gibeling (tb, arr) Hal McIntyre (cl, as, arr) Gene Kinsey (as) Johnny Hayes, Art Mendelsohn (ts) Bob
Poland (bs) Danny Hurd (p, arr) Jack Lathrop (g, vcl) Eddie Safranski (b) Ralph Tilken (d) Al Noble, Frances
Gaynor, Four Lytle Sisters, Gloria Van (vcl) Dave Matthews, Billy May (arr)
Ecstasy, New York, Late 1942–Early 1943
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” Golden Era 15022
Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole (p) Oscar Moore (g) Johnny Miller (b)
MacGregor Transcriptions, Los Angeles, May 23, 1944
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” MacGregor 40, UTS (Can)1367, Mark56 739,
Fresh Sound (Sp)FSRCD139 [CD], Laserlight 15749 [CD]
Harry James
Harry James (tp,arr) Nick Buono, Jimmy Campbell, Alex Cuozzo, Vince Badale (tp) Si Zentner, Ray Heath,
Harry Rodgers (tb) Phil Palmer, Fred Waldron (fhrn) Claude Lakey, Sam Marowitz (as) Johnny McAfee
(bar,vcl) Corky Corcoran, Sam Sachelle (ts) Sam Caplan, John deVoogdt, John Gootkin, Leo Zorn, Bill
Spear (vln) Herschel Gilbert (viola,arr) Victor Stern, Alex Neiman (viola) Al Friede (cello) Al Lerner (p) Ben
Heller (g) Thurman Teague (b) Mickey Scrima (d) Helen Forrest, Buddy Moreno (vcl)
CBS Radio, “Chesterfield Time, Hollywood, CA, July 28, 1943
“Do Nothin’ ‘Til You Hear from Me” Hindsight 141
Appendix One
“Concerto for Cootie,” Duke Ellington, Measures 5–7
“Concerto for Cootie,” Duke Ellington, Measures 72–78
