1. Juan Tizol Martinez was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer.
10 Facts About Juan Tizol
1. 2.
Arthur Whetsel, a trumpeter with whom Juan Tizol played in the White Brothers' Band, made the recommendation.
3.
Juan Tizol sat beside Tricky Sam Nanton in the two-man trombone section and became the fifth voice in the brass section of Ellington's orchestra.
4.
Juan Tizol played with great accuracy and was considered the solid rock of the trombone section.
5.
Juan Tizol was not a significant improviser, but was often featured playing written-out solos that displayed his technique and agility.
6.
Juan Tizol made many contributions to Ellington's band in the 1930s and '40s.
7.
Mercer Ellington said that Juan Tizol had derived the melody to "Caravan" from his days studying music in Puerto Rico, 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.
8.
Juan Tizol left Ellington's band in 1944 to play in the Harry James Orchestra.
9.
Juan Tizol returned very briefly to Ellington's band in the early 1960s but retired in Los Angeles.
10.
Juan Tizol died of a heart attack at the age of 84 on April 23,1984, in Inglewood, California, two years after the death of his wife, Rosebud.