1936 single by Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators
"Caravan " is an American jazz standard that was composed by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington and first performed by Ellington in 1936. Irving Mills wrote lyrics, but they are rarely sung.
The song has regained popularity since being featured prominently in the 2014 film Whiplash .
The first version of the song was recorded in Hollywood in 1936 and performed as an instrumental by Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators .[ 1] Two takes were recorded, of which the first (Variety VA-515-1) was published. The band members were:
The musicians were members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which often split into smaller combinations to record songs under different band names. For this recording, which included Ellington and Tizol as performers, the session band leader was Bigard. As of 2024 this is the most covered song in history with over 500 versions published.[ 2]
The sound of "Caravan" appealed to exotica musicians; Martin Denny , Arthur Lyman and Gordon Jenkins all covered it. The Mills Brothers recorded an a cappella version of the song. More than 350 versions have been recorded.[ 3]
Duke Ellington – New York, May 14, 1937[ 1]
Valaida Snow – Valaida Snow (vocal and trumpet) and her Orchestra, 1939, Sonora
Art Tatum – Los Angeles, April–July 1940[ 1]
Dizzy Gillespie – October 25, 1951[ 1]
Chet Atkins - A Session with Chet Atkins , 1954
Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington , Hackensack, New Jersey, July 27, 1955[ 1]
Nat King Cole – After Midnight , Los Angeles, September 14, 1956[ 1]
Santo & Johnny's – Santo & Johnny (1959), peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[ 4]
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – Caravan , New York, October 23, 1962[ 1]
Wes Montgomery – Movin' Wes , New York, November 16, 1964[ 1]
Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson – Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie , London, November 28–29, 1974[ 1]
Les Paul & Chet Atkins – Chester and Lester , May 6–7, 1975
Art Pepper – Friday Night at the Village Vanguard , New York, July 29, 1977[ 1]
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul , a live version (credited as "From the motion picture Men Without Women "), B-side of the "Forever" single, 1982
Wynton Marsalis – Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. I , New York, May 29–30, 1986 and September 24–25, 1986[ 1]
Medeski Martin & Wood – Notes from the Underground , New York, December 15–16, 1991[ 1]
Michel Camilo – Rendezvous , New York, January 18–20, 1993[ 1]
Dee Dee Bridgewater – Prelude To A Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album , a 1996 vocal rendition of the song, with a Mideastern and African percussion setting
Willy Crook & Funky Torinos - Versiones , 1999
Fanfare Ciocărlia - Gili Garabdi , 2005
Hiromi's Sonicbloom - Beyond Standard , 2008
Woody Allen used the song in two of his films, Alice and Sweet and Lowdown .
The song is featured on Rachel Portman ’s soundtrack for the 2000 film Chocolat .
Steven Soderbergh used the Lyman version in his 2001 film Ocean's Eleven .
The song is featured prominently in the 2014 film Whiplash as an important plot element. It features the Jim Widner Big Band arrangement and recording.
A horn sample from the Romanian cover version by Fanfare Ciocărlia was used in the song "We No Speak Americano " by Yolanda Be Cool .
Wu Bai used aspects of the song in his Crush on You (煞到妳) .
The Brian Setzer Orchestra version was used in The Sopranos episode "The Second Coming" where Tony Soprano attacks Coco for disrespecting Meadow.
List of 1930s jazz standards
External links and references [ edit ]
Studio albums
Harlem Jazz, 1930
Ellingtonia, Vol. One
Ellingtonia, Vol. Two
Braggin' in Brass: The Immortal 1938 Year
The Blanton–Webster Band
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
Smoke Rings
Liberian Suite
Great Times!
Masterpieces by Ellington
Ellington Uptown
The Duke Plays Ellington
Ellington '55
Dance to the Duke!
Ellington Showcase
Historically Speaking
Duke Ellington Presents...
The Complete Porgy and Bess
A Drum Is a Woman
Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956
Such Sweet Thunder
Studio Sessions 1957 & 1962
Ellington Indigos
Black, Brown and Beige
Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque
The Cosmic Scene
Happy Reunion
Jazz Party
Anatomy of a Murder
Festival Session
Blues in Orbit
The Nutcracker Suite
Piano in the Background
Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G.
Unknown Session
Piano in the Foreground
Paris Blues
Featuring Paul Gonsalves
Midnight in Paris
Studio Sessions, New York 1962
Afro-Bossa
The Symphonic Ellington
Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
Studio Sessions New York 1963
My People
Ellington '65
Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins
Ellington '66
Concert in the Virgin Islands
The Popular Duke Ellington
Far East Suite
The Jaywalker
Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York
...And His Mother Called Him Bill
Second Sacred Concert
Studio Sessions New York, 1968
Latin American Suite
The Pianist
New Orleans Suite
Orchestral Works
The Suites, New York 1968 & 1970
The Intimacy of the Blues
The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971
The Intimate Ellington
The Ellington Suites
This One's for Blanton!
Up in Duke's Workshop
Duke's Big 4
Mood Ellington
Live albums Collaborations Compositions by Billy Strayhorn by Juan Tizol
Orchestra members Related