A Night in Tunesia (Hendricks)

'A Night in Tunisia' is an instrumental jazz standard written by Dizzy Gillespie in and around 1941/42 while he was playing with the Benny Carter Band. Frank Paparelli got co-writer credit in compensation for some unrelated transcription work, but he actually had nothing to do with the song. Gillespie himself called it 'Interlude', under which title it is sometimes recorded.

Lyrics were added by Jon HENDRICKS*:

The moon is the same moon above you, aglow with its cool evening light
But shining at night in Tunisia, never does it shine so bright

The stars are aglow in the heavens, but only the wise understand
That shining at night in Tunisia, they guide you through the desert sand

Words fail, to tell a tale too exotic to be told
Each night's a deeper night in a world, ages old

The cares of the day seem to vanish, the ending of day brings release
Each wonderful night in Tunisia, where the nights are filled with peace


Recordings exist by Ella Fitzgerald (1961), Ada Lee, June Christy, Rio Nido, Mina, Lou Lanza, Ron Kaplan, Paula West, Victor Fields, Kimiko Itoh, Bonnie J. Jensen, Eileen Howard, Joanna Eden Trio, Judy Niemack, Anna Nygren, Miriam Aïda, Harold Sanditen, etc.

* In 1985 Hendricks wrote a second set of lyrics as 'Another Night in Tunesia', recorded by Bobby McFerrin & The Manhattan Transfer.