Duke Ellington, music · Paul Francis Webster, lyrics · Introduced by Ivie Anderson in the revue Jump for Joy
I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)
I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) is a 1941 song by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. Each runs through four that each seem to lead into the next, before it returns to G. Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk and Kenny Burrell all recorded it.
Listen in this order
The path starts with Ivie Anderson's 1941 record with Ellington. It continues with Oscar Peterson's piano, guitar and bass trio, Thelonious Monk's trio and Bill Evans playing alone. It then moves to Cannonball Adderley with strings, Red Garland's trio, Kenny Burrell's guitar trio and Zoot Sims with a big band.
1940sDuke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, vocal by Ivie Anderson1941
1950sOscar Peterson Trio1952
Thelonious Monk Trio1955
Bill Evans1956 · Cool jazz
Cannonball Adderley Sextet with Bill Russo Orchestra1958 · Bebop
1960sRed Garland Trio1961 · Easy listening
1970sKenny Burrell1974
Zoot Sims with Bill Holman Orchestra1976 · Big band
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Hear the song as first recorded
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, vocal by Ivie Anderson · 1941
Single, Victor 27531
The first hit record
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Listen for
Ivie Anderson sings with Ellington's orchestra, and the record runs 3:18. Compare the full-band sound with the small groups later in the path.
Try it on your instrument
Play 6 to 8 of the from the chart. Bar 6 runs , , and , bar 7 is and , and bar 8 is and D7. Smaller version: play only the roots B, E, A and D in bar 6.
Zoot Sims with Bill Holman Orchestra · 1976 · Big band
“I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good”, Hawthorne Nights
Tenor saxophone with big band
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Listen for
The lineup has two trumpets, a trombone, other reeds and a behind Zoot Sims. Listen for how the band sets up his tenor saxophone.
Try it on your instrument
Play 5 to 8 of the as a four-bar loop: , then , then and , then Am7 and D7. This is also a spot to start improvising, which needs more skill; a smaller version is to play one tone per bar.
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
Show the form and chords
How the tune works
G majorusual key
32 barsA · A · B · A form
G major → C major → G majorkey centers
A8 bars
A8 bars
B8 bars · bridge
A8 bars
G
C
G
The tune runs 32 in four sections of eight, , in in the iReal Pro chart. Each starts on , moves through and and reaches in bar 5. Bar 6 runs , , A7 and in one bar, each a fifth below the last, and bars 7 and 8 return to and Em7, then Am7 and D7. On the second A the chart ends with G6, , and , which leads into the . The bridge sits in for four bars, with for two bars and for two bars. It returns to G with Gmaj7, then and E7, Am7 and D7, which sets up the last A.