Juan Tizol Martínez (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

and composer. He is best known as a member of

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

, and as the writer of the

jazz standard 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 lis ...

s " Caravan", "Pyramid", and " Perdido".

Biography

Tizol was born in

Vega Baja Vega Baja (, ) is a town and municipality located on the coast of north central Puerto Rico. It is north of Morovis, east of Manatí, and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 barrios. The population of the municipality was 54,414 at ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. Music was a large part of his life from an early age. His first instrument was the violin, but he soon switched to

valve trombone A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

, the instrument he played throughout his career. His musical training came mostly from his uncle Manuel Tizol, who was the director of the municipal band and the symphony in San Juan. Throughout his youth, Tizol played in his uncle's band and also gained experience by playing in local operas, ballets and dance bands. In 1920, Tizol joined a band that was traveling to the United States to work in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The group eventually made it to Washington (traveling as stowaways) and established residence at the

Howard Theater The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In its heyday, the theater was known for catering to an African- ...

, where they played for touring shows and silent movies. At the Howard they also were hired to play in small jazz or dance groups. This is where Tizol first came in contact with

. Tizol joined Ellington's band in mid-1929.

Arthur Whetsel Arthur Parker Whetsel (February 22, 1905 – May 1, 1940) was an early "sweet" trumpeter for Duke Ellington's Washingtonians. Biography Arthur Whetsel was born in Punta Gorda, Florida, one of two children of the Reverend Oscar N. Whetsel, an e ...

, a trumpeter with whom Tizol played in the White Brothers' Band, made the recommendation. Tizol sat beside

Tricky Sam Nanton Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton (February 1, 1904 – July 20, 1946) was an American trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Early life Joe Nanton was born Joseph Irish Nanton in New York City, United States. His parents were John Barzly Nanton an ...

in the two-man trombone section, and became the fifth voice in the brass section of Ellington's orchestra. This opened up new possibilities for Ellington's writing, as he now could write for trombones as a section instead of just having them play with the trumpets. Tizol's rich, warm tone also blended pleasingly with the saxophone section, so he was often scored carrying the lead melody with the saxes. Along with his distinctive sound, Tizol was also known for being one of the best sight-readers and overall musicians in the band. He played with great accuracy and was considered to be the solid rock of the trombone section. He was not a major improviser in the band, but he was often featured playing written out solos that displayed his masterful technique and agility on the horn. Tizol made many contributions to the Ellington band throughout the 1930s and 1940s. One of his major roles in the band was copying parts from Ellington's scores. Tizol spent time extracting parts that needed to be written out for upcoming shows. Besides copying, Tizol was also a band composer. His best-known compositions, " Caravan" (1936) and " Perdido" (1941), are jazz standards.

Mercer Ellington Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death. Biography Early life and education Ellin ...

stated that Tizol had invented the melody to " Caravan", from his days studying music in

; where they could not afford much sheet music so the teacher turned the music upside down after they had learned to play it right-side up. This technique became known as 'inverting'. Tizol was responsible for bringing Latin influences into the Ellington band with compositions such as "Moonlight Fiesta", "Jubilesta", "Conga Brava", and others. He also played valide trombone. Tizol left Ellington's band in 1944 to play in the

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

Orchestra. The main reason for this was to allow him to spend more time with his wife, who lived in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. In 1951, he returned to Ellington, along with James's drummer and alto saxophonist, in what became known as 'the James raid'. However, he returned to James' band in 1953 and remained predominantly on the West Coast for the remainder of his career. In Los Angeles, he played sporadically with Harry James,

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...

Louis Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

and on the Nat "King" Cole's television show. Tizol returned very briefly to Ellington's band in the early 1960s, but eventually retired in Los Angeles. He died of a heart attack at the age of 84 on April 23, 1984 in Inglewood,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, two years after the death of his wife, Rosebud.

Discography

As sideman

With

* ''

Journey Into Love ''Journey Into Love'' is an album by American jazz drummer Louis Bellson featuring performances recorded in 1954 for the Norgran label.

'' ( Norgran, 1954) * ''

Drumorama! ''Drumorama!'' is an album by American jazz drummer Louis Bellson featuring performances recorded in 1957 for the Verve label.

'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 1957) * ''

Music, Romance and Especially Love ''Music, Romance and Especially Love'' is an album by American jazz drummer Louis Bellson featuring performances recorded in 1957 for the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1957) * '' The Brilliant Bellson Sound'' (Verve, 1960) * ''

Louis Bellson Swings Jule Styne ''Louis Bellson Swings Jule Styne'' is an album by American jazz drummer Louis Bellson featuring performances of tunes written by Jule Styne recorded in 1960 for the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1960) * ''Live in Stereo June 28, 1959 at the Flamingo Hotel Vol. 1'' (Jazz Hour, 1992) With

* ''Ellington Uptown'' (Columbia, 1951) * ''Ellington '55'' (Capitol, 1954) * ''Seattle Concert'' (RCA Victor, 1954) * ''Ellington Showcase'' (Capitol, 1956) * ''Liberian Suite and a Tone Parallel to Harlem'' (Columbia, 1956) * ''Piano in the Background'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''Selections from Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 & 2 and Suite Thursday'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''The Nutcracker Suite'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''Paris Blues'' (United Artists, 1961) With

* ''Dancing in Person with Harry James at the Hollywood Palladium'' (Columbia, 1954) * ''Soft Lights, Sweet Trumpet'' (Columbia, 1954) * ''Harry James in Hi-fi'' (Capitol, 1955) * ''Jazz Session'' (Columbia, 1955) * ''Juke Box Jamboree'' (Columbia, 1955) * ''More Harry James in Hi-fi'' (Capitol, 1956) * ''Requests On-the-Road'' (MGM, 1962) With others *

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, ''First Time! The Count Meets the Duke'' (Columbia, 1962) *

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, '' Cosmopolite'' (Norgran, 1954) *

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

, ''After Midnight'' (Capitol, 1956) * Nat King Cole, ''The Piano Style of Nat King Cole'' (Capitol, 1956) *

Maxwell Davis Thomas Maxwell Davis, Jr. (January 14, 1916 – September 18, 1970), was an American rhythm and blues saxophonist, arranger, bandleader and record producer. Biography Davis was born in Independence, Kansas in 1916. In 1937, he moved to Lo ...

, ''Compositions of Duke Ellington and Others'' (Crown, 1960) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, ''Get Happy!'' (Verve, 1959) * Ella Fitzgerald, ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book Vol. 1'' (Verve, 1960) *

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

, ''The Man I Love'' (Capitol, 1957) * Peggy Lee, ''Jump for Joy'' (Capitol, 1958) *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, ''Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely'' (Capitol, 1958)

References

Other sources

*Dietrich, Kurt. Duke's Bones. Germany: Advance Music, 1995. Print. *Serrano, Basilio. "Juan Tizol: His talents, his collaborators, his legacy." Centro Journal Vol XVIII. Number 11 (2006). Print. *Mercer Ellington On Marian McPartland's Piano Jaz
Mercer Ellington On Piano Jazz

External links

* *
Juan Tizol
at

Music of Puerto Rico The music of Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have included European, Indigenous, and African influences, although many aspects of P ...

Juan Tizol
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Juan Tizol recordings
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Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tizol, Juan 1900 births 1984 deaths Swing trombonists Puerto Rican jazz musicians People from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico Duke Ellington Orchestra members 20th-century trombonists