You're my Thrill

[medjuck]

In one of the more bizarre examples, the composer credits for Mercer Ellington's "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" (sometimes Duke Ellington and Don George get partial credit as well), on the CD reissue of the Jim Hall Trio "Jazz Guitar" album creatively get transformed to to "Duke Ellington / Johnny Mercer"). A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, indeed! I assume, but can't confirm, that the same error appeared on the original LP (can anyone confirm this?).

Jim Hall's original Jazz Guitar LP says "By Ellington and Mercer"

.

A few years ago I heard a fairly hip Toronto radio personality (Danny Finkleman) play the original Johnny Hodges version of "Things" and announce that it was by Duke Ellington and Johnny Mercer. I presume that he saw Mercer Ellington was the composer and read it as Mercer-Ellington. I remember thinking exactly what you said: "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

BTW on a Johnny Hartman Impulse release the composer of "My Ship" is listed as someone other than Kurt Weil.

[Chuck Nessa]

It would be interesting to check out who owns the publishing on the different versions. I'm too lazy to do it now but could EMI own the "other" version?

[Jim Alfredson]

It would be interesting to check out who owns the publishing on the different versions. I'm too lazy to do it now but could EMI own the "other" version?

I already did, Chuck, back in my first post on this thread.

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...ndpost&p=454996

[Chuck Nessa]

It would be interesting to check out who owns the publishing on the different versions. I'm too lazy to do it now but could EMI own the "other" version?

I already did, Chuck, back in my first post on this thread.

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...ndpost&p=454996

Oops.

[Lazaro Vega]

I met Mercer Ellington at his home in Denmark in 1985. While having drinks and talking "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" came up. Mercer said, "I wrote it in twenty minutes." His wife then poked her head around the kitchen door and yelled, "He was drunk!" Mercer explained that "Pop" called him very early in the morning, knowing Mercer had been out all night, and said we have an early recording session and need some new music. That is the legend of Ellington's method of discplining the troops, anyway, give them extra work... so I bought it. Great story.

Years later David Berger told me that "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" was actually a Johnny Hodges tune that he lost in a poker game to Mercer.

Edited January 4, 2006 by Lazaro Vega

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I met Mercer Ellington at his home in Denmark in 1985. While having drinks and talking "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" came up. Mercer said, "I wrote it in twenty minutes." His wife then poked her head around the kitchen door and yelled, "He was drunk!" Mercer explained that "Pop" called him very early in the morning, knowing Mercer had been out all night, and said we have an early recording session and need some new music. That is the legend of Ellington's method of discplining the troops, anyway, give them extra work... so I bought it. Great story.

Years later David Berger told me that "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" was actually a Johnny Hodges tune that he lost in a poker game to Mercer.

Those ar BOTH great stories. "Thongs ain't what they used to be" does have a Hodges feel about it. Or even "Things..."

MG