| "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.
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]
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".
Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone.
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be standards changes over time. Songs included in major fake book publications and jazz reference works offer a rough guide to which songs are considered standards.
Oscar Pettiford was an American jazz double bassist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom.
The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz disc jockey Jimmy Lyons.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book is a 1957 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by Duke Ellington and his orchestra, focusing on Ellington's songs.
"I'm Beginning to See the Light" is a popular song and jazz standard, with music written by Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James and lyrics by Don George and published in 1944.
Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington, also known as Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington, is an album by American jazz pianist Thelonious Monk which was recorded in July 1955 and released on Riverside later that year. The album contains Monk's versions of songs by Duke Ellington.
"Things Ain't What They Used to Be" is a 1942 jazz standard with music by Mercer Ellington and lyrics by Ted Persons.
Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band is a 2003 three-disc compilation combining the master takes of all the recordings by Duke Ellington's Orchestra during the years of 1940 to 1942 with an additional nine tracks, including five alternative takes and four additional masters. An expanded version of The Blanton–Webster Band, this reissue, according to Allmusic, "truly worth either an initial investment or reinvestment". All About Jazz: New York observed that these performances, from what is often considered "the band in its prime", "not only set the standard for big bands and jazz orchestras, but created an ideal near insurmountable to improve upon". The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this compilation as part of its suggested "Core Collection."
A Session with Chet Atkins is the third studio album recorded by American guitarist Chet Atkins. It features Atkins introducing standard pop and jazz melded with country sensibilities. The liner notes state this is the first use of a celeste on a country record. The musicians include Homer and Jethro in the rhythm section. Atkins uses his new EchoSonic amplifier for the first time on his recordings.
Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie is an album by Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie that was released in 1974. At the Grammy Awards of 1976, Gillespie won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist for his performance on this album.
Live at the Whitney is a live album by the American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington, recorded at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1972 and released on the Impulse! label in 1995.
Featuring Paul Gonsalves is an album by American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington. Without new material to work with, Ellington recorded the album with his orchestra and saxophonist Paul Gonsalves in 1962 during a four-hour recording session. It was not released until 1985 by Fantasy Records.
Swing jazz emerged as a dominant form in American music, in which some virtuoso soloists became as famous as the band leaders. Key figures in developing the "big" jazz band included bandleaders and arrangers Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, Glenn Miller, and Artie Shaw. Duke Ellington and his band members composed numerous swing era hits that have become standards: "It Don't Mean a Thing " (1932), "Sophisticated Lady" (1933) and "Caravan" (1936), among others.
Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live is a live album by the Duke Ellington Orchestra that won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1980. The album was recorded at a dance in Fargo, North Dakota.
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Giants is a live album by trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Bobby Hackett and pianist Mary Lou Williams recorded in 1971 and originally released on the Perception label.
To Diz with Love is a live album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie with an array of guest stars recorded at the Blue Note in 1992 and released on the Telarc label. The album, along with To Bird with Love and Bird Songs: The Final Recordings, represent the last recordings made by the trumpeter before his death in 1993.
