Song of the Day: Caravan

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 12, 2016 is “Caravan.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington and Juan Tirol wrote “Caravan” in 1936, with lyrics by Irving Mills. Caravan is one of the most popular Duke Ellington songs and has been recorded steadily over the years. In Jazz Standards, Al Gioia attributes its popularity as a jazz song due to “the composition’s adaptability to a modernistic, modal-based approach.”

About This Version

Today’s recording is from 1962 and was almost lost forever. It’s from Tony Bennett’s album On The Glory Road, which was due to be released in 1962 but was pulled at the last moment. Thankfully, the album was released in the 2011 Complete Collection boxed set and is now also available on iTunes. “Caravan” was arranged and conducted by Ralph Sharon and features percussion by Chico Hamilton.

“Caravan,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available from iTunes.