Duke Ellington: Caravan (1937)

Ellingtons early contribution to the Latin jazz canon is a collaboration with valve trombonist Juan Tizol. Caravan combines the Afro-Cuban practice of elaboration over a repeating vamp section, and the American jazz tradition of passages with more harmonic variety. In this case, in the middle section Ellington references the oft-employed harmonic progression from George Gershwins I Got Rhythm to contrast to the first theme, which is driven by a more rhythmic feel. Tizol continued to work as trombonist and collaborative composer in Ellingtons band for years to come, and the enormously popular Caravan stayed in Ellingtons repertoire for his entire career.