An underrated but very talented all-round musician,
Juan Tizol was an indispensable part of
Duke Ellington's Orchestra for 15 years. He was taught music by his uncle, Manuel Tizol, and worked locally with the Municipal Band of San Juan. After moving to the U.S. in 1920,
Tizol played in Washington, D.C., with the Marie Lucas Orchestra, and worked with
Bobby Lee's Cottonpickers and
the White Brothers' Band. After joining
Duke Ellington in August 1929,
Tizol (who rarely soloed) became an important ensemble player. His fluidity on valve trombone (he was the first significant jazz player on that instrument) allowed him not only to bolster the trombone section but to fill in for absent saxophonists. In addition,
Tizol composed "Caravan" and "Perdido," two songs that would always be associated with
Ellington.
After leaving
Duke in April 1944,
Tizol worked with
Harry James until March 1951. At that time,
Tizol was part of the "Great James Robbery" which occurred when three of
James' sidemen joined
Ellington (who had recently lost
Johnny Hodges,
Lawrence Brown, and
Sonny Greer).
Tizol stayed with
Duke until late 1953, when he returned to
James' band for the rest of the decade. His third stint with
Ellington (in the spring of 1960) was brief, and then he largely retired, living in Los Angeles and later on Las Vegas.
Juan Tizol, who recorded extensively with
Ellington and
James plus with some of
Duke's sidemen, led one record date of his own in 1946, resulting in four titles for Keynote.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi