Caravelli, real name Claude Vasori (Paris, September 12, 1930, Paris- Le Cannet, April 1, 2019) is a French orchestra leader, composer and arranger of orchestral music.
The son of an Italian father and a French mother, Vasori was initially instructed in music by his mother in piano and voicing/harmony at seven years old, and later, when he was thirteen, he began to attend the Paris Conservatoire. At twenty he was professionally touring, accompanying singers on piano, and at 26 years old he started as an orchestra conductor.
Vasori took his stage name in 1956 from the newly introduced twinjet Caravelle from Caravelle Aerospatiale. This plane was the first jet created for the short-haul market. The first Caravelle entered service for Air France on May 9, 1959. He made it more Italianate in honor of his father’s origins, changing the last letter: “CARAVELLI et son Violons Magiques / & his Magnificent Strings”.
98 recordings by Caravelli you can hear at Instrumentals Forever:
A New Day Has Come • All The Things You Are • America (West Side Story) • America (”West Side Story”) • Another Day In Paradise • Aria • Autumn Flower • Bamboleo • Blue Moon • Blue Rondo à la Turk • Blue Skies • Breakin’ Away • Calling You (”Bagdad Cafe”) • Can’t Get Used To Losing Yiou • Can’t Help Falling In Love • Capri, c’est fini • Cecilia • Charmaine • Chattanooga Choo Choo • Classic And Sequencer • Cuando Caliente El Sol • Delicado • Desafinado • Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (”Evita”) • Down Town • Ebb Tide • Eight Days A Week • Emotion • Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic • Everybody Loves Somebody • Guantanamera • Helène • Hello, Dolly (”Hello Dolly”) • Here We Are • Hey Jude • I Can Hear Music • I Could Have Danced All Night (”My Fair Lady”) • I Will Wait For You (”Les Parapluies de Cherbourg”) • I’m Your Baby Tonight • Keep Our Love Alive • L’Amérique (Yellow River) • Laura • Le temps des cathédrales • Les uns contre les autres (”Starmania”) • Los Olivos • Louise • LOVE • Love is a Many Splendored Thing • Love, Tango and Tambourine • Mack The Knife • Memory (”Cats”) • Moi Lolita • Monopolis, dans les villes de l’an 2000 (”Starmania”) • Moon River • My Own True Love (Theme ”Gone With The Wind”) • Night And Day • Olympia Blues • On The Street Where You Live (”My Fair Lady”) • Only You • Over the Rainbow • Pop Corn • Prestissimo • Promise Me • Puppet On A String • Quando, Quando, Quando • Red Roses For A Blue Lady • Romantic World • Save The Last Dance For Me • Singing In The Rain • Somethin’ Stupid • Strangers In The Night • Sugar Baby Love • Summertime (”Porgy and Bess”) • Supreme • Syracuse • Take Five • Tea For Two • Temptation • Tenderly • The Girl Is Mine • The Green Leaves of Summer • The Hustle • The Man I Love • The Phantom of the Opera • The Shadow of Your Smile • The Windmills of Your Mind • Theme from ”Music Of The World_ (NHK TV) • Theme from ”New York New York” • Three Coins in the Fountain • Tico Tico • Tonight (”West Side Story”) • Tous les garçons et les filles • Wispers • With A Little Bit Of Luck (”My Fair Lady”) • With All My Heart • Yesterday • YMCA • You Are The Sunshine Of My Life •
