Duke Ellington & Juan Tizol - Caravan - Orchestra version

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 -- May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions. In the words of Bob Blumenthal of The Boston Globe "In the century since his birth, there has been no greater composer, American or otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington."
A prominent figure in the history of jazz, Ellington's music stretched into various other genres, including blues, gospel, film scores, popular, and classical. His career spanned more than 50 years and included leading his orchestra, composing an inexhaustible songbook, scoring for movies, composing stage musicals, and world tours. Several of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became standards. Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and thanks to his eloquence and extraordinary charisma, he is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional genres of music. His reputation increased after his death and the Pulitzer Prize Board bestowed on him a special posthumous honor in 1999.
Ellington called his music "American Music" rather than jazz, and liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond category."[3] These included many of the musicians who were members of his orchestra, some of whom are considered among the best in jazz in their own right, but it was Ellington who melded them into one of the most well-known jazz orchestral units in the history of jazz. He often composed specifically for the style and skills of these individuals, such as "Jeep's Blues" for Johnny Hodges, "Concerto for Cootie" for Cootie Williams, which later became "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me" with Bob Russell's lyrics, and "The Mooche" for Tricky Sam Nanton and Bubber Miley. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan" and "Perdido" which brought the 'Spanish Tinge' to big-band jazz. Several members of the orchestra remained there for several decades. After 1941, he frequently collaborated with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his "writing and arranging companion." Ellington recorded for many American record companies, and appeared in several films.
Ellington led his band from 1923 until his death in 1974. His son Mercer Ellington, who had already been handling all administrative aspects of his father's business for several decades, led the band until his own death in 1996. At that point, the original band dissolved. Paul Ellington, Mercer's youngest son and executor of the Duke Ellington estate, kept the Duke Ellington Orchestra going from Mercer's death onwards.

Tizol was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Music was a large part of his life from an early age. His first instrument was the violin, but he soon switched to valve trombone, the instrument he would play throughout his career. His musical training came mostly from his uncle Manuel Tizol, who was the director of the municipal band and the symphony in San Juan. Throughout his youth, Juan played in his uncle’s band and also gained experience by playing in local operas, ballets and dance bands. In 1920, Juan joined a band that was traveling to the United States to work in Washington D.C. The group eventually made it to Washington (traveling as stowaways) and established residence at the Howard Theater where they played for touring shows and silent movies. At the Howard they also were hired to play in small jazz or dance groups. This is where Tizol first came in contact with Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington.

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[Oyemebien]

I am glad you give do credit to Juan Tizol Martínez when you say, "He [Ellington] also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan" and "Perdido" which brought the 'Spanish Tinge' to big-band jazz. How else would Ellington have conceived this feeling and style if not from the source... of those that had lived it?

More interesting, the so called "Spanish Tinge" was not Spanish but the African accentuated perhaps by a "Latin Tinge"- so called "exotic" feeling of Middle Eastern/Arabic influences in Spanish music who ruled Spain for 800 years until the middle of the1400's. I may say that Tizol was the ethnic embodiment of that mixture of the Spanish and the African resulting in the Creole or Puerto Rican.

If you listen carefully to Tizol's compositions you will hear accents of melodic variations insinuating both elements of the Culture, Spanish and African. Many attribute many the songs written by Tizol to Ellington, also as being co-authored- which is a diminution of the importance and originality of Tizol's composition's impact, influence and significance in the music of Ellington's Orchestra.

[marinawallis]

Absolutely love this version. Very atmospheric. Great. I love most of the Duke's music but this is my all time favourite.

[wTheBeaTleSw]

I've been looking for this version for so long!!!! Thank

[alfredlyman]

Thew text closed before I finished. This is a nice tribute to The Duke but it leaves the clear impression that he wrote Caravan. He was the first to perform it in 1936 (might have commissioned it) but it was composed by Juan Tizol. This recording was made one year later. At some point Irving Mills wrote lyrics for it.

[zaherharake]

الموسيقى هي “صوتٌ له زمن، وصمتٌ له زمن”، فالموسيقى ليست هي فقط الصوت العذب الصادر من الآلة، وإنما هي جدلية الصوت مع الصمت، تراقص الأضداد الذي يصنع لهذا الكون طعما ربما، منذ تلك اللحظة، لسبب ما، وهنا، نستذكر ما قاله فيكتور هوجو ذات مرة: “الموسيقى تعبّر عن أشياء لا يمكن أن تبقى صامتة، لكن أيضا لا يمكن التعبير عنها بكلمات”!

[MichaelBrooksRT]

This version is on The Duke at Tanglewood where he is playing w/ Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops in around 1969 I believe. Great album. This is my favorite version

[PatrickWall]

This is great Iranian blues jazz hybrid.

[mattweberbass]

Does anyone know what orchestra is playing? I assume Duke Ellington orchestra plus, who? Who are the orchestral players?

[Vodichka]

This is shit. Give me Duke Ellington. Give me Benny Goodman. Give me Brian Setzer. Not this overblown nightmare of