Tuesday Tidbit: The Singers Join the Caravan

Yesterday we roamed through a whole caravan of instrumental versions of the Juan Tizol/Duke Ellington classic Caravan. There are so many instrumental takes that you can almost forget the tune even has lyrics. So today, we let the singers climb aboard.

Mills Magic in the Mirage

We’ll warm up with a “vocal” version that doesn’t actually feature the lyrics at all — the fabulous Mills Brothers and their patented instrument imitations on this 1938 Decca recording:

They often imitated instruments on their 1930s records, but this is the only one I know where they skip sung lyrics entirely. Pretty cool!

Also cool: this 1942 Soundie of the Mills performing Caravan:

I’m not sure why they’re dressed like that, but they sound terrific — and the dancing is snazzy.

Valaida's Vocal Venture

The first version to actually feature the lyrics came from Valaida, the singer/trumpeter, on this Swedish recording from 1939:

I’m not sure whether it was released in the U.S. at the time. Valaida Snow was American, but like several other Black artists of the era, she found greater popularity in Europe.

Mr. B Meets the Mirage

We have to jump all the way to 1949 for the first version with lyrics on a major American label. That honor goes to Billy Eckstine on MGM:

Billy’s voice fits the mysterious mood of the song beautifully, and Hugo Winterhalter’s accompaniment wraps around him like desert night air.

Nat Navigates the Night Sky

Next stop: 1957, for something of an “authorized” version from Nat King Cole. I say that because Juan Tizol himself brings his valve trombone to the session for Nat’s Capitol album After Midnight:

It sounds wonderful — Nat’s trio is joined by Jack Costanza on bongos to deepen the atmosphere. An awesome album, by the way!

Even better, Nat performed the tune on his TV show with Juan right there beside him:

So cool to see them in action!

Bobby Brings the Breeze

We skip ahead to 1960 for one more vocal Caravan, this time from Bobby Darin on his Atco album This Is Darin:

You just can’t beat Bobby singing a standard. That's an awesome album as well!

And here’s Bobby again, performing the same arrangement on TV in 1973:

He looks and sounds so good that it’s hard to believe he’d be gone within a year.

So, the vocal caravan may not be as long as the instrumental one, but there are some real gems in these dunes!

Warehouse Whispers

One last wandering thought as our caravan heads home: I’ve always been curious about Irving Mills’ credits on these songs. Did he actually ever make any contributions? He’s listed as the sole lyricist for Caravan, but did he actually write them? Did he hire a ghostwriter? Did a passing sandstorm blow the paperwork into his lap? And while Duke shares composer credit with Juan Tizol, most folks agree Juan brought in that hypnotic melody, with Duke adding his usual Ellington sparkle. The publishing world back then was its own little oasis of mysteries!

Drop a comment with your thoughts.

Monday Side-Session: The Many Moods of Indigo

Yesterday, we basked in the original instrumental glory of Duke Ellington's Mood Indigo. Today, we’re flipping the script to listen to how the vocalists took over!

The song acquired lyrics almost immediately. They were ostensibly written by Irving Mills, Duke’s manager, though I always wonder how much actual lyric‑writing he did. My hunch is that he sometimes subcontracted the words while still sharing composing credit with Duke (and in this case, Barney Bigard).

We have a bunch of vocal versions, so let's get started!

The Early Pioneers (1931–1933)

The first vocal version appeared in 1931, when Lee Morse and her Blue Grass Boys recorded it for Columbia:

That's great! And of course, “Blue Grass” didn’t mean “Bluegrass” in 1931 - no fiddles or banjos!

Next came Gene Austin (of “My Blue Heaven” fame), who recorded the song for Victor:

Is that perhaps the first time a Duke Ellington number was recorded as an out‑and‑out pop song?

Also in 1932, The Three Keys cut “Mood Indigo” for Columbia:

The label notes that “Bon Bon” is one of the group members - that’s the great George Tunnell, later featured with Jan Savitt’s band, and an early example of a Black singer starring with a white band.

It’s no surprise that the jazz‑leaning Boswell Sisters got their hands on an Ellington tune, and indeed they recorded “Mood Indigo” for Brunswick in 1933:

The Bozzies always sound great and how can you beat having the Dorsey Brothers for backup?

The Duke & The Divas (1940–1941)

As we move to 1940, we come to Duke Ellington himself, who recorded a vocal version with Ivie Anderson for Columbia:

I believe that’s Duke’s first session with the brilliant Jimmy Blanton on bass and Ben Webster on tenor sax. We’ll be hearing plenty from the Blanton/Webster band as we go forward.

Moving to 1941, we have a terrific version by Dinah Shore, from a Victor album tied to the radio show NBC’s Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street.

This was early in Dinah's long and successful career, but she already had the goods!

The Mid-Century Moderns (1950s)

Now we hit the 1950s with The Four Blazes on the small United label in 1952:

So nice and smooth!

Next comes another independent label entry: The Norman Petty Trio on Nor‑Va‑Jak in 1954.

RCA Victor’s subsidiary Vik picked up that recording for national distribution, and it became a hit. Norman Petty is, of course, better known as a producer - especially for Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

Also in 1954, The Modernaires teamed with fellow big band vet Georgie Auld for this version on Coral Records:

The Mods’ doo‑wops and Georgie’s tenor sax give it a distinctly mid‑’50s flavor!

Also in 1954, Billy Eckstine (himself a big band veteran) recorded the song for MGM:

It fits Mr. B like a glove!

Then perhaps the most famous big‑band alumnus of all, Frank Sinatra, included a terrific version on his 1955 Capitol album In the Wee Small Hours:

Frank and arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle are an unbeatable combination!

The Mills Brothers finally got around to "Mood Indigo" in 1958, recording it for their album Mmmm... on Dot Records:

That really does make you go Mmmm...

Next up in 1959 is the incomparable Nat "King" Cole. who included the song on his Welcome to the Club album for Capitol:

Just great! I understand that Dave Cavanaugh is conducting the Count Basie band there!

Also in 1959, Perry Como included the song in his RCA Victor album Como Swings:

I know I've said it before, but Perry was a sneaky-hip square!

Another long-time popular singing star, Doris Day, included the tune on her 1960 album What Every Girl Should Know for Columbia:

I think Doris is underrated as a vocalist these days, since she’s best remembered as a movie star - but at least she’s remembered.

We've really only scratched the surface of this song's life. Do you prefer the early, torchy 1930s takes, or the "Wee Small Hours" sophistication of the 1950s?

Threaded Thursday: The Fine Line Between Love and Madness

As a follow-up to Creole Love Call and Indian Love Call, I was figuring that there must be at least a few other songs with “(Insert Descriptive Adjective) Love Call” for a title. But I figured wrong!

(Puts on thinking cap) Love call… love… call… call… love… (Lightbulb!)… You Call it Madness (But I Call It Love).

The Original "Vignette": Russ Columbo (1931)

Before there was a "Battle of the Baritones" in the late 40s, there was the rivalry between Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo. You Call It Madness was Russ’s signature song, and it’s got that definitive early-30s "penthouse" sound. It’s vulnerable, slightly tragic, and incredibly smooth.

The record is haunting anyway, but Russ’s untimely death due to a freak shooting accident just a few years later gives it an even more tragic tone when we listen to it today.

The Jazzman’s Answer: The King Cole Trio (1946)

As the 40s rolled in, the song got a jazzy facelift courtesy of Nat King Cole. Here, the madness is a bit more polished. With his impeccable piano styling and that intimate, "near-the-mic" vocal, Nat turns the song into a sophisticated conversation. It’s less of a plea and more of a confession.

I really like the sound of the King Cole Trio—there’s a precision there that never gets old.

The "Mr. B" Powerhouse: Billy Eckstine (1945)

Finally, we have Billy Eckstine. If Columbo was the matinee idol and Nat was the jazzman, "Mr. B" was the powerhouse. His rich, vibrating baritone brings a level of romantic authority to the song that few could match. By the time Eckstine gets through with it, you aren't just calling it love—you’re convinced.

Here's Billy with his orchestra on the small National Records label:

Billy (with his forward-leaning band) and Nat (with his trio) were both very jazz-oriented at the time, but these records show that their vocals were simply too good for them not to emerge as solo stars!

The Closing Thought

Whether it’s a wordless vocal from Adelaide Hall, a swinging tenor-sax vocal from Tony Pastor, or the smooth baritone of Russ Columbo, the line between a "Love Call" and "Madness" has always been thin.

In the Warehouse, we’re happy to be guilty of both!

1940s Christmas Playlist - Part 5 - "The Christmas Song" (1946)

As we move into 1945, the recording ban was over and musicians of all types were recording for all the labels, but vocalists had made serious inroads and were more popular than ever.

I had discussed some Christmas songs from 1945 here and went into depth on the year's big seasonal hit "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" here, so we'll move right into 1946.

We actually finally have more than one song to talk about this time, so we'll kick off the year with one of the most popular Yuletide tunes ever, "The Christmas Song!"

Everyone still knows that song and a lot of people still associate it with Nat King Cole and some people still know it was co-written by singer Mel Tormé, but I suppose such people get fewer all the time, even as the song still gets recorded every year.

Nat King Cole was the first artist to record the song, while he was still leader of the King Cole Trio. Here's the hit single on Capitol Records:

As heard on the record and mentioned on the label, the trio's sound was augmented by a small string section. The arrangement was the basis for Nat's later solo recordings of "The Christmas Song" in 1953 (with Nelson Riddle) and 1961 (the ubiquitous stereo version with Ralph Carmichael).

The trio had actually originally recorded it without strings, but Nat thought strings should be added and was able to convince Capitol to let him re-record the song that way.

Nat and Capitol honcho Johnny Mercer seem to be in deep thought!

It's interesting that at the time Nat was King Cole, a jazz pianist who sang and not Nat "King" Cole, the romantic crooner, so the thought of having strings on one of his records was sort of controversial!

In latter years, the trio-only recording surfaced. I was surprised when I heard it on a Rhino Records Christmas compilation in 1989. I hear that was a mistake! 

Whatever the case I was glad to hear it, so here it is:

I think that sounds just fine, but I also remember when I first heard it after years of the other versions, it did seem like something was missing!

The only other recording of "The Christmas Song" from 1946 was by Les Brown and his Orchestra with soon-to-be movie star Doris Day handling the vocal. You can hear that one back in this post.

The song was one of those "instant classics" so the 1947 holiday season saw a bunch of new recordings by a bunch of singers, including Bing Crosby, Dick Haymes, Tony Martin and Kate Smith!

Eddy Howard conducts his band on a recording session.

But we know I'm partial to big bands and also Eddy Howard, so let's hear his 1947 recording on Majestic Records:

I think that's great! I literally could listen to him all day. In fact, actually may have done that!

I also like those sneaky-good records on small labels, so here's Monica Lewis backed by Ray Bloch's orchestra on Signature Records, also from 1947:

Such a bright 1940s sound!

Mel Tormé was recording during this period, but I don't believe he ever made a vintage recording of the song himself. I wonder why? Too busy cashing royalty checks?

"The Christmas Song" has been recorded a zillion times since, but you can't beat Nat King Cole in whatever is your version of choice!