Thursday, May 19, 2011

Caravan: A standard from the thirties to the present

Composed by the trombonist Juan Tizol and first performed by Duke Ellington in 1937, Caravan shows the depth and extremes a jazz standard can take across decades and music and social environments.


Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, 1952




Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington
Irving Mills wrote the lyrics for Caravan, here, they are sung by Ella Fitzgerald.




Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
From the original Latin theme to the array of exotic beats behind it, Caravan has become a study in rhythm. Here the drummer Art Blakey plays the standard on his album titled Caravan.




Ellington,  Charles Mingus and Max Roach
An intriguing mix of musicians in a modern sort of style. 




Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery moves the piece to electric guitar.





Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie





Wynton Marsalis, 1988




Jamie Cullum, Newport Jazz festival, 2010
There's nothing like audience participation, or is it the other way around?









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