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(If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)

"(If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)" is a song written by Sam Coslow that is strongly associated with Ella Fitzgerald.

It was first recorded by Fitzgerald on 29 October, 1936 ^[1] and became a firm fixture of her live performances, providing a springboard for her scat singing.

On the 2007 tribute album We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song recorded to mark Fitzgerald's 90th birthday, it was performed by Chaka Kahn and Natalie Cole, and Cole and Patti Austin performed the song at the tribute concert to Fitzgerald on June 6, 2007 ^[2]. At the London concert in December celebrating Fitzgerald, it was performed by Ian Shaw and Claire Martin.

Notable recordings

• Ella Fitzgerald - Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Vol. 1 (2003), Ella in Hollywood (1961), Ella in Budapest, Hungary (1970)
• Dee Dee Bridgewater - Dear Ella (1997)
• Chaka Kahn and Natalie Cole - We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song (2007)

References