Juan Tizol—His Caravan through American Life and Culture

About the Book

Juan Tizol: His Caravan through American Life and Culture Juan Tizol is often remembered as the famed trombonist who composed the jazz evergreens known as Caravan and Perdido. Few know that this enigmatic figure was a multifaceted talent who lived an extraordinary life in the world of music. Juan Tizol Martínez was a native of Puerto Rico who divided his life into four broad segments; the first 20 years in his native land, the next several years in Washington, D.C., the third in New York City and for almost 40 years in Los Angeles. From these different venues, Tizol acquired an abundance of experiences in music that permitted him to make a contribution that has been described as one “whose Latin American touch changed the Duke Ellington Orchestra – and the history of jazz.” This book provides the reader with greater details of Juan Tizol’s talents as a trombonist, composer, music transcriber and arranger. Tizol’s soft-spoken and gentle demeanor may have undermined his much sought-after talents. The recorded history of jazz confirms his many contributions to the music of Ellington, Harry James, Louie Bellson, Nelson Riddle, Nat King Cole, and others. Juan Tizol has been described as the “progenitor of Latin Jazz” and this book provides the necessary information to make a convincing case to support the description.

About the Author

Basilio Serrano was born in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. When a child his family moved to Brooklyn, New York where he started school. He subsequently spent most of his youth in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He graduated from the City College of the City University of New York where he completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree. He also holds a PhD from New York University. Dr. Serrano is a professor and former chair of the Childhood Education Department of State University of New York – College at Old Westbury. In addition to preparing teachers, Professor Serrano has served as a curriculum writer specializing in the area of Latin American Studies. A major challenge facing curriculum developers in this area is the lack of centralized sources of information and as a result, they have to embark on conducting the research. Very often, the research is ground-breaking. His work in this field has led him to research many facets of the Latin American experience in the United States. An area that has been his focus is the Puerto Rican Diaspora and the wide range of experiences that Boricuas have had in the States. In recent years, Dr. Serrano has researched the Puerto Rican participation in the development of popular music and jazz. It is a result of this research that this book on Juan Tizol and an assortment of related articles were written He has written articles on the history of the Puerto Rican community in the United States and biographical essays on musicians in the world of jazz. His publications appear in academic journals and magazines from the United States and Puerto Rico.