“Caravan” | Stories of Standards

Tune in to First Take with Lando and Chavis – weekdays from 6-9 am MT – for Stories of Standards to hear our favorite versions of this song all week long!

“Caravan” (1936) by Juan Tizol (1900-1984) and Duke Ellington (1899-1974) was first released on the Variety Records label in December 1936, where the Duke’s Men recording rose to #4 on the pop charts by June 1937. While publisher/manager Irving Mills initially paid Juan Tizol a flat fee of $25, Mills returned the rights and royalties to Tizol after the song had become a hit. The minor key melody created for “Caravan” forms a perennial favorite, evocative, lively and memorable, enhanced by Ellington’s arrangement.

“Caravan” was popular with a number of big bands in the 1930s, including Bunny Berigan and Benny Goodman, then morphed into a vehicle for drummers in the 1950s. The song appeared in several movies (“Alice” in 1990, “Sweet and Lowdown” in 1999, “Chocolat” in 2000 and “Ocean’s Eleven” in 2001).  Irving Mills’ lyrics are sometimes used, but most of the 350-plus recordings are instrumental.

Juan Tizol met Duke Ellington soon after moving from Puerto Rico to Washington, D. C. in 1920, while playing in the band at the Howard Theatre. As the first significant valve trombone jazz player he spent years with Ellington as trombonist and arranger. He later worked with Harry James before returning to the Ellington Orchestra.

Duke Ellington’s abilities as bandleader, composer and pianist are unparalleled, with more than 1000 of his compositions being recorded, many of them becoming jazz standards. His many awards, including honorary doctorates and the Presidential Medal of Honor, bear witness to his charm, talent, musical ability and the skill with which he brought an orchestral approach to jazz and wrote to the greatest talents of each of his band members, while many of them remained in the band for thirty or more years.