Threaded Thursday: An Angel in Lace

From yesterday’s The Bunny Hop, we keep tugging the Ray Anthony thread with another early‑1950s confection — Marilyn, Ray’s tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

Let’s spin Ray’s 1952 Capitol record featuring Tommy Mercer and The Skyliners:

A cute little number, and a perfect time capsule from an era when blonde‑bombshell movie stars and handsome, trumpet‑playing bandleaders were the very definition of show‑biz glamour!

I don’t think Ray and Marilyn were ever romantically involved, but if any bandleader had a shot, it would’ve been Ray. My mother used to say he was the only handsome bandleader — and she said it with conviction!

And considering Ray later married Mamie Van Doren, we can safely say MM was very much his type!

To keep the 1950s Marilyn mania going — while also picking up the mambo thread from yesterday — here’s a 1954 blast from Perez Prado on RCA Victor:

Marilyn and Mambo? That's so 1954!

Hope you enjoyed the mini‑Marilyn marathon!

Monday Side-Session: Caravan Across the Century

Yesterday, we heard several versions of Juan Tizol’s classic Caravan as played by various Duke Ellington groups. For today’s side‑session, we’ll wander a little farther into the dunes and check out how other bands and artists have handled this ever‑mysterious tune.

“Caravan” might be the most recorded number in the entire Ellington band book, and from the very beginning it inspired wildly different interpretations. We’ll do a little decade‑hopping and hit some highlights.

1937: The First Wave of Covers

We start with Bunny Berigan on Victor, recorded just a couple of months after Duke’s own version:

A sharp arrangement by pianist Joe Lippman, and Bunny’s growl trumpet is absolutely convincing. He could do anything he wanted with that horn!

Next up, pianist Edgar Hayes and his band for Decca, also in 1937:

I think I say all the time that Edgar Hayes had an underrated band. I stand by that statement!

And the tune even crossed the Atlantic that same year, where Ambrose recorded it for British Decca:

Three takes from 1937, each bringing its own flavor to the journey.

1946–1949: New Rhythms, New Ideas

This caravan moves fast, so let’s hop off in 1946 to catch Charlie Barnet on the Apollo label:

Charlie could never resist an Ellington‑related number.

Then in 1948, pioneer electric guitarist Les Paul gives the tune a then‑modern facelift on this multitrack gem for Capitol:

Possibly the first guitar‑centric Caravan — but far from the last.

Next, tenor sax star Flip Phillips teams up with Latin legend Machito for this 1949 Mercury side:

I’m sure Juan Tizol approved!

1952–1953: A Curious Case of Influence

We enter the 1950s with a fascinating take by The Esquire Boys for the small Rainbow label in 1952:

A very cool reworking featuring guitarist Danny Cedrone, who would soon play the iconic solo on Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock.

Then comes the intrigue: Ralph Marterie’s hit version for Mercury in 1953.

Ralph’s record is clearly based on the Esquire Boys’ arrangement from the year before. Was it authorized? Hmmm…

Late ’50s: Stereo, Steel and Swing

Next stop: New Orleans, 1958, where Al Hirt includes an extended version on his Swingin’ Dixie! album for Audio Fidelity:

Lots of fun in early stereo!

The guitars return with Santo & Johnny, whose steel‑guitar take was recorded in 1959 and released as a single in 1960 on the Canadian-American label:

I’m a big fan of Santo & Johnny — Sleepwalk is one of my all‑time favorites.

1960s: Big Signatures from Big Names

I’m also a big fan of Pérez Prado, who cut this version for RCA Victor in 1964:

Sounds great!

Then in 1967, Bert Kaempfert records his own unmistakable take, released in the U.S. on Decca:

You could do a blindfold test and spot both Prado and Kaempfert instantly!

1976: Disco in the Dunes

A quick stop in 1976 for — of all things — a disco version of “Caravan” by Rhythm Heritage on ABC:

I was a young big‑band fan in 1976 and don’t remember hearing this one. I’m sure I would’ve been horrified, but now it’s a fun artifact of the era.

2000: A Rockabilly Blast

We end our trek as a new century dawns with Brian Setzer’s roaring take with his orchestra from the 2000 album Vavoom!:

A long ride — but worth every mile! But how do we get the sand out of all those guitar amps?

Sundays with Duke #13: Setting the Mood

As we hit 1931 with Duke Ellington, we arrive at one of the crown jewels of his entire output: Mood Indigo. Few pieces announce the Ellington sound so completely — the colors, the poise, the sly melancholy, the sense that the band is painting with air.

The discography gets a little twisty right out of the gate. The first recording seems to be this Okeh release credited to the Harlem Footwarmers:

But the waters get muddy, because there’s also this Brunswick recording under the Jungle Band name:

Dreamy Blues was the original title — and only appeared on the very first run — before the tune became Mood Indigo forever after.

Whatever the case, the Victor version from 1931 is the one that became famous, and it still sounds magnificent:

This is the first Ellington original that inspired a zillion cover versions and remakes almost immediately. Everyone wanted a piece of that mood.

Early Covers (1931–1934)

Clyde McCoy returns with this 1931 Columbia recording:

Despite Clyde’s reputation as a corn‑shucker, his style actually works beautifully here — the wah‑wah gives the tune a kind of swampy ache.

A more predictable candidate to cover Ellington was Jimmie Lunceford, whose band cut this terrific version for Decca in 1934:

A lovely arrangement by alto sax man Willie Smith, who always had a knack for elegance.

The Tune Travels (1940s–1950s)

Here’s a fascinating Hawaiian‑style take from Felix Mendelssohn and his Hawaiian Serenaders, recorded for British Columbia in 1942:

I really like this one — it’s dreamy in a completely different way

From 1945, we get Andre Kostelanetz with a lush orchestral version on American Columbia:

The classy “Masterworks” imprint meant 12‑inch discs, so the maestro got two extra inches of groove to play with.

Jumping to 1955, here’s a mambo version by Pérez Prado on RCA Victor:

I'm pretty much a sucker for any Prado mambo take on a standard!

From 1956, Marty Gold gives us a bachelor‑pad arrangement on his Vik album Wired for Sound:

Dig it, cats - it’s pure hi‑fi lounge charm!

Also from 1956, pianist Johnny Maddox tones down the honky‑tonk for this Dot Records 45:

Surprisingly tasteful — it works.

The Co‑Composer Speaks (1957)

Barney (Don't call me 'Albany') Bigard, Duke’s longtime clarinetist and co‑composer of Mood Indigo, recorded his own extended version for his 1957 Liberty album Jazz Hall of Fame:

Pretty cool to hear him stretch out on the tune he helped create.

A Country Twist (1961)

One more before we wrap: in 1961, country piano master Floyd Cramer released this version as the flipside of his RCA Victor hit “On the Rebound”

Nice touch — it’s simple, warm, and unmistakably Cramer.

Tomorrow’s side session will explore vocal versions, and there are some beauties waiting in the wings as Mood Indigo becomes a whole different shade of blue!