The Nutcracker Suite (Duke Ellington album)
| The Nutcracker Suite | ||||
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| File:The Nutcracker Suite (Duke Ellington album).jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Duke Ellington | ||||
| Released | 1960 | |||
| Recorded | May 26, 31, June 3, 21–22, 1960 | |||
| Studio | Radio Recorders, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Jazz, Christmas | |||
| Label | Columbia CL 1541 |
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| Duke Ellington chronology | ||||
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The Nutcracker Suite is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1960 featuring jazz interpretations of "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.[1] The album was rereleased on CD in 1990 as part of Three Suites along with Ellington's reworking of Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite" and "Suite Thursday," his tribute to John Steinbeck.[citation needed] The original 1960 cover is notable for the inclusion of Strayhorn's name and picture along with Ellington's.[citation needed]
In 2013, a new recording of the Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker Suite, and Tchaikovsky's original Nutcracker Suite, by conductor Steven Richman and Harmonie Ensemble/New York, was released on the Harmonia Mundi label.[citation needed]
Reception
The Allmusic review awarded the album 4½ stars.[2]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  [3] |
Track listing
All compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- "Overture" - 3:22
- "Toot Toot Tootie Toot (Dance of the Reed-Pipes)" - 2:30
- "Peanut Brittle Brigade [March]" - 4:37
- "Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy)" - 3:05
- "Entr'acte" - 1:53
- "Volga Vouty (Russian Dance)" - 2:52
- "Chinoiserie (Chinese Dance)" - 2:50
- "Danse of the Floreadores (Waltz of the Flowers)" - 4:04
- "Arabesque Cookie (Arabian Dance)" - 5:44
Recorded on May 26 (tracks 1 and 5), May 31 (track 2), June 3 (tracks 4 and 8), 21 (tracks 3 and 7) and 22 (tracks 6 and 9), 1960.
Personnel
- Duke Ellington – piano
- Willie Cook, Fats Ford, Ray Nance, Clark Terry - trumpet
- Lawrence Brown, Booty Wood, Britt Woodman - trombone
- Juan Tizol - valve trombone
- Jimmy Hamilton - clarinet, tenor saxophone
- Johnny Hodges - alto saxophone
- Russell Procope - alto saxophone, clarinet
- Paul Gonsalves - tenor saxophone
- Harry Carney - baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
- Aaron Bell - bass
- Sam Woodyard - drums
References
- ↑ A Duke Ellington Panorama accessed May 27, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Allmusic Review accessed May 27, 2010
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
