The story behind puzzle No. 41
Dizzy Gillespie · Single · Victor · 1946
Dizzy Gillespie wrote it in 1942 and called it Interlude. Someone else gave it an exotic new name, and it became one of the anthems of bebop.
Gillespie recorded A Night in Tunisia for RCA Victor on February 22, 1946, with Don Byas on tenor saxophone, Milt Jackson on vibraphone, Al Haig on piano, Bill DeArango on guitar, Ray Brown on bass and J.C. Heard on drums. That recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.
It was not the first recording of the tune. Sarah Vaughan sang it as Interlude at the end of 1944, and Boyd Raeburn's orchestra recorded it with Gillespie in January 1945.
Gillespie never picked the title. As he put it, some genius decided to call it A Night in Tunisia.
Frank Paparelli is listed as a co-writer, but Gillespie said Paparelli had nothing to do with the song.
The melody floats over a bass line with a Latin feel, then the band shifts into straight-ahead swing on the bridge. That switch between two grooves is a big part of the tune's pull.
Listen for the breaks, where the band drops out and a soloist plays alone before the next section. They became a signature of the tune.
Who's on it
Keep listening
A month later, Charlie Parker recorded the tune for Dial with Miles Davis. His solo break there became one of the most famous moments in bebop.
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