Concerto for Cootie

Duke Ellington (Cootie Williams) · 1940 · Written by Duke Ellington for Cootie Williams; later became Do Nothing till You Hear from Me with lyrics by Bob Russell.

Context

Piece by Duke Ellington written for his trumpeter Cootie Williams and recorded for Victor in Chicago on March 15, 1940, with the Blanton-Webster-era orchestra. A single-movement concerto built around the soloist. In 1942, Bob Russell added lyrics and the theme became "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me," a number one on the R&B charts in January 1944, recorded in a vocal version by Ellington in 1947.

In the genealogy of jazz

This track belongs to Harlem: Henderson, Redman, Ellington, Swing, big bands. Among the origins and influences of Harlem: Henderson, Redman, Ellington: Chicago, Stride (Harlem piano).

Cited in 1 radio episode

• Sep 17, 2026: CONCERTO FOR COOTIE - PAR COOTIE, POUR COOTIE, AVEC COOTIE (Anatomie d'un titre, TSF Jazz, in French)

By the same artist

• Echoes of Harlem (1936)

Sources

• adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu
• fittcollection.macewan.ca
• classicjazzstandards.com

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