Juan Tizol

Juan Tizol
Juan Tizol in Duke Ellington's orchestra (1943)
Background information
Born	(1900-01-22)January 22, 1900 Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
Died	April 23, 1984(1984-04-23) (aged 84) Inglewood, California
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	Valve trombone
Associated acts	Duke Ellington

Juan Tizol (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican trombonist and composer. He is best known as a member of Duke Ellington's band, and as the co-writer of the jazz standards "Caravan", "Pyramid" and "Perdido".

Tizol was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. 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, the instrument he would play 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, Juan played in his uncle’s band and also gained experience by playing in local operas, ballets and dance bands. In 1920, Juan joined a band that was traveling to the United States to work in Washington D.C. The group eventually made it to Washington (traveling as stowaways) and established residence at the Howard Theater 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 Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington.

Tizol got the call to join the Ellington band in the summer of 1929. Arthur Whetsol, a trumpeter whom Tizol played with in the White Brothers’ Band, apparently made the recommendation. Tizol sat beside Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton 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 Duke’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.