Caravan (Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington song)

1936 single by Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators

"Caravan"

"Caravan" on Variety

Single by Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators
Released| 1936
Genre| Jazz
Composer(s)| Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington
Lyricist(s)| Irving Mills

"Caravan" is an American jazz standard by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington, 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.

## Original recording

[edit]

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:

* Cootie Williams – trumpet
* Juan Tizol – trombone
* Barney Bigard – clarinet
* Harry Carney – baritone saxophone
* Duke Ellington – piano
* Billy Taylor – double bass
* Sonny Greer – drums

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]

## Other versions

[edit]

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]
* Bobby Darin on This is Darin 1959 (rec) 1960 (rel)
* 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

## In popular culture

[edit]

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. The arrangement heard in the film is by John Wasson.

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".

## See also

[edit]

List of 1930s jazz standards

## External links and references

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 58–59\. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.58-59&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2012&rft.isbn=978-0-19-993739-4&rft.aulast=Gioia&rft.aufirst=Ted&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Caravan+(Juan+Tizol+and+Duke+Ellington+song)" class="Z3988">
2. ^ https://stacker.com/music/most-covered-songs-all-time
3. ^ Alain, Pailler (2002). Duke's place, Ellington et ses imaginaire. France: Actes sud. p. 147\. ISBN 978-2-7427-3691-1.
4. ^ "Santo & Johnny Chart History". Billboard Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-17.

* v
* t
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Duke Ellington

Discography

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|

* Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
* Black, Brown, and Beige
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1946
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947
* Ellington at Newport
* Dance Concerts, California 1958
* Dance Dates, California 1958
* Newport 1958
* Jazz at the Plaza Vol. II
* Duke Ellington at the Alhambra
* Live at the Blue Note
* Hot Summer Dance
* The Great Paris Concert
* A Concert of Sacred Music
* In the Uncommon Market
* Soul Call
* Yale Concert
* 70th Birthday Concert
* Togo Brava Suite
* Live at the Whitney
* Third Sacred Concert
* Eastbourne Performance

Collaborations|

* Blue Rose
* Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
* Side by Side
* Back to Back
* The Great Summit
* First Time! The Count Meets the Duke
* Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
* Money Jungle
* Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
* Serenade to Sweden
* Ella at Duke's Place
* The Stockholm Concert, 1966
* Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
* Francis A. & Edward K.
* It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

Compositions|

* "African Flower"
* "All Too Soon"
* "Azure"
* "Black and Tan Fantasy"
* "Black, Brown and Beige"
* "C Jam Blues"
* "Come Sunday"
* "Cotton Tail"
* "Creole Love Call"
* "Day Dream"
* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"
* "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"
* "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
* "Drop Me Off in Harlem"
* "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"
* "Echoes of Harlem"
* "Everything but You"
* "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues"
* "I Didn't Know About You"
* "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"
* "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
* "I'm Beginning to See the Light"
* "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"
* "In a Mellow Tone"
* "In a Sentimental Mood"
* "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
* "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'"
* "Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)"
* "The Mooche"
* "Mood Indigo"
* " Prelude to a Kiss"
* "Rocks in My Bed"
* "(In My) Solitude"
* "Sophisticated Lady"
* Queenie Pie (unfinished opera)

| by Billy Strayhorn|

* "Take the 'A' Train"
* "Lush Life"
* "Chelsea Bridge"
* "Something to Live For"
* "Satin Doll"
* "Blood Count"

|

by Juan Tizol|

* "Caravan"
* "Perdido"

Orchestra
members|

* Hayes Alvis
* Cat Anderson
* Ivie Anderson
* Harold Ashby
* Alice Babs
* Shorty Baker
* Butch Ballard
* Art Baron
* Aaron Bell
* Louie Bellson
* Joe Benjamin
* Barney Bigard
* Lou Blackburn
* Jimmy Blanton
* Wellman Braud
* Lawrence Brown
* Harry Carney
* Johnny Coles
* Willie Cook
* Buster Cooper
* Kay Davis
* Wild Bill Davis
* Wilbur de Paris
* Bobby Durham
* Mercer Ellington
* Rolf Ericson
* Jimmy Forrest
* Victor Gaskin
* Peter Giger
* Tyree Glenn
* Paul Gonsalves
* Sonny Greer
* Fred Guy
* Jimmy Hamilton
* Otto Hardwick
* Shelton Hemphill
* Rick Henderson
* Al Hibbler
* Johnny Hodges
* Major Holley
* Charlie Irvis
* Quentin Jackson
* Hilton Jefferson
* Herb Jeffries
* Freddie Jenkins
* Money Johnson
* Herbie Jones
* Wallace Jones
* Taft Jordan
* Al Killian
* Queen Esther Marrow
* Wendell Marshall
* Murray McEachern
* Louis Metcalf
* James "Bubber" Miley
* Harold "Geezil" Minerve
* Ray Nance
* Tricky Sam Nanton
* Oscar Pettiford
* Eddie Preston
* Russell Procope
* Junior Raglin
* Betty Roché
* Ernie Royal
* Al Sears
* Joya Sherrill
* Willie Smith
* Elmer Snowden
* Rex Stewart
* Billy Strayhorn
* Billy Taylor
* Clark Terry
* Juan Tizol
* Norris Turney
* Ben Webster
* Arthur Whetsel
* Cootie Williams
* Nelson Williams
* Skippy Williams
* Booty Wood
* Jimmy Woode
* Britt Woodman
* Sam Woodyard

Related|

* Mercer Ellington (son)
* Sacred Concerts
* Duke Ellington Bridge
* Duke Ellington Circle
* Duke Ellington Memorial
* Duke Ellington House
* Duke Ellington School of the Arts
* Luther Henderson
* Irving Mills
* Sophisticated Ladies
* Play On!
* Jam Session
* Steve Ellington

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