The Nutcracker Suite (Duke Ellington album)

The Nutcracker Suite

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

Duke Ellington chronology

Blues in Orbit
(1960)

The Nutcracker Suite
(1960)

Piano in the Background
(1960)

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. The original 1960 cover is notable for the inclusion of Strayhorn's name and picture along with Ellington's.

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
1 2 Allmusic Review accessed May 27, 2010
↑ Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 69. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.

Duke Ellington

Studio albums

Live albums

Collaborations

with Alice Babs	Serenade to Sweden

with Count Basie	First Time! The Count Meets the Duke

with Teresa Brewer	It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

with Rosemary Clooney	Blue Rose

with John Coltrane	Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

with Ella Fitzgerald	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook Ella at Duke's Place The Stockholm Concert, 1966 Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur

with Coleman Hawkins	Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins

with Frank Sinatra	Francis A. & Edward K.

Compositions

"All Too Soon"
"Azure"
"Black and Tan Fantasy"
"Black, Brown and Beige"
"C Jam Blues"
"Cotton Tail"
"Day Dream"
"Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"
"Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"
"Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
"Drop Me Off in Harlem"
"Echoes of Harlem"
"Everything But You"
"I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues"
"I Didn't Know About You"
"I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"
"I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
"I'm Beginning to See the Light"
"I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"
"In a Mellow Tone"
"In a Sentimental Mood"
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
"Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'"
"Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)"
"Mood Indigo"
" Prelude to a Kiss"
"Rocks in My Bed"
"(In My) Solitude"
"Sophisticated Lady"

Billy Strayhorn compositions associated with Ellington	"Take the "A" Train" "Lush Life" "Chelsea Bridge" "Something to Live For" "Satin Doll" "Blood Count"

Juan Tizol compositions associated with Ellington	"Caravan" "Perdido"

Orchestra
members

Filmography

Discography

E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816)

Ballet	The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky) The Nutcracker (Balanchine) The Nutcracker (Christensen)

Music	The Nutcracker Suite (Ellington) The Nutcracker Suite (Sparks) "Nut Rocker"

Animation	Care Bears Nutcracker Suite (1988) The Nutcracker Prince (1990) The Nuttiest Nutcracker (1999) Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001) Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007)

Film	The Nutcracker (1973) Nutcracker Fantasy (1979) Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986) The Nutcracker in 3D (2010)

Other	The Hard Nut Indian nutcracker Trepak The Slutcracker Holiday for Shoestrings Fantasia List of productions

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