Juan Tizol (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a
Puerto RicanPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
trombonistThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
.
He was born in
Vega Baja, Puerto RicoVega Baja is a municipality in north central Puerto Rico located in northern coast, north of Morovis; east of Manatí; and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 wards and Vega Baja Pueblo...
and moved to the mainland
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1920. He trained as a valve trombonist and played the
Valide tromboneThe valide trombone is a valve-slide hybrid combination trombone invented by jazz musician Brad Gowans. The valide is a predecessor of the Superbone but is not the same instrument...
. He worked with
Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader.Duke Ellington became one of the most influential artists in the history of recorded music, and is largely recognized as one of the greatest figures in the history of jazz, though his music stretched into...
from 1929 to 1944, and it was during this period that he composed "
Caravan"Caravan" is a jazz standard composed by Juan Tizol and first performed by Duke Ellington in 1937. Tizol also composed "Perdido" for the Ellington band. The lyrics were written by Irving Mills, but as many versions are instrumental he is sometimes not listed. The song is variously seen as the first...
" and "Perdido". Ellington's arrangements made use of the valve trombone's greater facility in moving between certain notes.
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Juan Tizol (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a
Puerto RicanPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
trombonistThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
.
He was born in
Vega Baja, Puerto RicoVega Baja is a municipality in north central Puerto Rico located in northern coast, north of Morovis; east of Manatí; and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 wards and Vega Baja Pueblo...
and moved to the mainland
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1920. He trained as a valve trombonist and played the
Valide tromboneThe valide trombone is a valve-slide hybrid combination trombone invented by jazz musician Brad Gowans. The valide is a predecessor of the Superbone but is not the same instrument...
. He worked with
Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader.Duke Ellington became one of the most influential artists in the history of recorded music, and is largely recognized as one of the greatest figures in the history of jazz, though his music stretched into...
from 1929 to 1944, and it was during this period that he composed "
Caravan"Caravan" is a jazz standard composed by Juan Tizol and first performed by Duke Ellington in 1937. Tizol also composed "Perdido" for the Ellington band. The lyrics were written by Irving Mills, but as many versions are instrumental he is sometimes not listed. The song is variously seen as the first...
" and "Perdido". Ellington's arrangements made use of the valve trombone's greater facility in moving between certain notes. Caravan was often second on the Ellington set list. After leaving Ellington, Tizol worked with the
Harry JamesHarry Haag James was an American musician and bandleader. James was an instrumentalist of the swing era, employing a bravura playing style that made his trumpet work identifiable...
Orchestra in
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, allowing him to see his wife more often. In 1951, he returned to Ellington, along with James's drummer and alto saxophonist, in what became known as 'the James raid'. He left Ellington and retired from regular touring in 1953. In 1957 he was a guest on The
Nat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz...
Show.
He died in
Inglewood, CaliforniaInglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. In 2006, its population was estimated at 129,900. The city is in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area...
on April 23, 1984.
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