This is some of the greatest music of the suites written or in this case, arranged by ellington and strayhorn. When ellington signs a record contract in 1960, he teams up with fellow musician billy strayhorn, and the two composers create a new spin on tchaikovskys nutcracker suite. The legendary composing and arranging skills of duke ellington and billy strayhorn also make it nutcracker season for jazz aficionados. Ellington strayhorn overture tchaikovsky march arr. In 1960, ellington and strayhorn wrote their version of the famous tchaikovsky ballet. This authentic edition of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite, as arranged in 1960 by billy strayhorn and duke ellington, was assembled from the original manuscripts held in the strayhorn repository and the ellington collection of the smithsonian.
Find similar albums to the nutcracker suite duke ellington on allmusic. The nutcracker rotterdams philharmonisch orkest complete concert in. Duke ellingtons nutcracker with duke ellington orchestra. Dec 14, 2017 closer to home, the 17member orchestra under the direction of jordan english of martinsburg will perform duke ellington s nutcracker jazz suite, at 7. Heres a clever, wellexecuted album with a clever, wellexecuted plan. The nutcracker suite sheet music by ellingtonstrayhorn. The classical masterpiece is a holiday favorite and tinkering with something so well known is a bit risky. Ellington and strayhorn took some liberties with the suite, and this is.
Edward kennedy duke ellington devoted major efforts over the last three decades of his life to pieces that were, if not entirely classical in inspiration, at least composed upon the canvas of western concert music. Featuring jazz interpretations of tchaikovskys the nutcracker, the album has come to be recognised as one of duke ellington s most important albums of the 1960s. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn. The setting of the nutcracker suite that he composed with billy strayhorn has been among the most popular of these efforts, but it, like the dukes other concert works, remains. Duke ellington presents the nutcracker suite youtube. We have many customers that do mini trees in their childrens rooms devoted entirely to the nutcracker themed ornaments. Florida wind symphony jazz orchestra will present an ellington nutcracker in the university theatre. Strayhorn returned to pittsburgh, and attended westinghouse high school, later attended by erroll garner and ahmad jamal. One of the most popular ballets ever written or performed, the holiday favorite, tchaikovskys nutcracker suite has inspired many ornaments and decor pieces for your home or tree. The nutcracker suite additional works to be announced jazz up your holidays with duke ellington s dazzling reimagining of tchaikovskys the nutcracker, performed by the duke ellington orchestrathe only ensemble directly carrying on the tradition from duke himself.
Scopri pubblicazioni, recensioni, brani, consigli, e molto altro su duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky the nutcracker suite in discogs. December 2, 1938 billy strayhorn meets duke ellington at the stanley theater, where ellington was performing with his orchestra. He supervised but did not dictate strayhorn s projects. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky. It has all the rhythms of jazz, but you can still tell its peter. Harmonie ensemble new york, steven richman, duke ellington, billy strayhorn, tchaikovsky, duke. The nutcracker suite duke ellington similar allmusic. The nutcracker suite sheet music by ellingtonstrayhorn sku.
All of the ornaments are related to the ballet pointe shoes. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky the nutcracker suite. Dec 03, 2015 yet the nutcracker suite was the first time strayhorns name was seen as equal to the duke. Madison college jazz ensemble will open the concert with fred sturm and a beautiful arrangement of skylark by bob brookmeyer. Dec 23, 2010 alfred is proud to partner with the billy strayhorn and duke ellington estates to release the famous jazzy arrangement of tchaikovskys the nutcracker suite, as performed by the duke ellington orchestra. Visions of sugar rum cherries tap dance in her head the.
Swing for the holidays weidner center for the performing. Ellington s band members were not so sure that a classical ballet could become a coolcat jazz number. Aardvark jazz orchestra brings nutcracker to life the. See more ideas about ballet, nutcracker christmas and nutcracker sweet. Yet when the duke and his writing partner billy strayhorn first announced plans to take the classical ballet and perform a jazz version, even members of dukes orchestra expressed their doubts that the project would amount to much. Nutcracker ornaments and decor for the nutcracker suite. Relatively late in his career, ellington decided to release an album devoted to orchestrations of other composers and chose tchaikovskys nutcracker suite not exactly a safe choice, since many consider tchaikovsky one of the great orchestrators. Ellington and strayhorn did not save all their gifts for royals. Aardvark began rehearsing the ellington strayhorn nutcracker early in its fall season in order to be ready for the orchestras annual christmas concert aardvarks 41st.
Get in the holiday spirit in the beautiful surroundings of calgarys grace presbyterian church for an afternoon of swinging big band jazz. Anna harwell celenza duke ellingtons nutcracker suite. Its a 30minute suite, not a fulllength ballet score. The nutcracker suite is duke ellington and billy strayhorn s masterful arrangement of tchaikovskys classic. But even many ellington fans probably didnt know that this particular nutcracker was strayhorn s idea. The nutcracker suite recorded for the columbia label in 1960 featuring jazz interpretations of the nutcracker by pyotr illyich tchaikovsky, arranged by ellington and strayhorn. Many know him as duke ellingtons longtime collaborator, composer. While largely forgotten today, the popular album marked a watershed in one of american musics most consequent and. The placement of the traditional nutcracker suite before the ellington strayhorn version was a stroke of genius. This christmas season, the joffrey ballet will premiere an entirely new scenario and. Tapping ellington and strayhorns nutcracker suite wise music.
Join the thompson jazz studies program for a joyful and swinging evening of the hippest holiday music ever. Columbia county ballet will perform the nutcracker at the imperial. In duke ellington and billy strayhorn s reworking of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite from 1960, the jazz composers didnt lean on tchaikovsky for anything beyond the strength of a melody. In 1960 duke ellington and billy strayhorn reinvented peter ilyich tchaikovskys holiday ballet classic, the nutcracker suite, as a jazzy, brassy. For purposes of accuracy, the manuscripts were crosschecked carefully with the original duke ellington. Unforgettable big band performs the duke ellington billy strayhorn interpretation of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite at the big band christmas spectacular, december 10, 2017 in york, pa. 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. A 1959 promo video for duke ellington s version of the nutcracker suite, featuring paul gonsalves, butter jackson, and ray nance. Philharmonic society of orange county duke ellingtons. Green bay jazz orchestra and courtney sherman uwgreen bays newest holiday tradition returns.
Ellington paid for strayhorn s rent, food and lavish wardrobe. Eager to create fresh, new tunes, duke and his bestfriend and collaborator, billy strayhorn, decide to reinvent a holiday tradition. Composer billy strayhorn takes center stage alongside jazz legend duke ellington in this dynamic picture book account of the composition and recording of their reimagined nutcracker suite. Apollo jazz orchestra to perform ellingtons nutcracker.
Nutcracker suite overture youtube duke ellington and his orchestra. Ellington, along with your jazzy holiday favorites, is certain to make for a cheery night. Toot toot tootie toot dance of the reedpipes, peanut brittle brigade march, sugar rum cherry dance of the sugarplum fairy, danse of the floreadores. By doing this, the original is still fresh in the listeners mind when the swinging jazz version of it begins.
In 1960, at the urging of billy strayhorn, the duke ellington orchestra recorded the nutcracker suite columbia, a brilliant jazz interpretation of tchaikovskys music. Dec 15 duke ellingtons nutcracker orange county, ca patch. The nutcracker suite, an album by duke ellington, strayhorn on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Nutcracker ornaments nutcracker ballet christmas ornaments. Ellington strayhorn peanut brittle brigade tchaikovsky dance of. Justin varnes the jazz corner hilton head island, sc december 15, 2017 every christmas is the nutcracker season for ballet aficionados. This edition of tchaikovskys the nutcracker suite, arranged in 1960 by billy strayhorn and duke ellington, was assembled from the original manuscripts held in the strayhorn repository and the ellington collection of the smithsonian. This release, edited by jeff lindberg for level 6 jazz ensembles, marks the first time in history the authentic transcription of this. Come and enjoy the classic nutcracker tale set to the jazz music of duke ellington. In the 1990s there was the harlem nutcracker, which also used the ellington strayhorn music. This suite was first composed as a ballet score by russian composer pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky in 1892. While largely forgotten today, the popular album marked a watershed in one of american musics most consequent and productive partnerships, as ellington gave strayhorn. However this cd is very disappointing because 1 it is taken from a vinyl source you can hear the surface noise 2 the ending of the last movement is chopped off, and 3 there is only 31 mins of music on the whole cd cds take 75 mins with ease. The album was rereleased on cd in 1990 as part of three suites along with ellingtons reworking of griegs peer gynt suite and suite thursday, his tribute to john steinbeck.
Drummer cafe alfred releases popular strayhorn, ellington. At christmas 1960, the composing duo managed something truly extraordinary. Description provided by wikipedia under creative commons attribution ccbysa 4. The nutcracker suite duke ellington album wikipedia. Later, in the early 2000s, the tap innovator brenda bufalino created her own tap version. Its a challenge to transform the nutcracker suite s romantic orchestra into jumpin jazz melodies, but thats exactly what duke ellington and his collaborator, billy strayhorn, did. In the south, featuring duke ellingtons rendition of nutcracker, will be at 4 p.
The ellington strayhorn arrangement, as recorded by the ellington band, poses a challenge to a dance company. This edition of tchaikovskys the nutcracker suite, arranged in 1960 by billy strayhorn and duke ellington, was assembled from the original manuscripts held in the strayhorn repository and the ellington collection of the smithsonian institutions national museum of american history. Duke ellington the nutcracker suite rtv slovenia symphony. Another great resource is duke ellingtons nutcracker suite once upon a. Dec 24, 20 when ellington signs a record contract in 1960, he teams up with fellow musician billy strayhorn, and the two composers create a new spin on tchaikovskys nutcracker suite. The nutcracker ballet western reserve youngstown live. Composer billy strayhorn takes center stage alongside jazz legend duke ellington. Yet when the duke and his writing partner billy strayhorn first announced plans to take the classical ballet and perform a jazz version, even members of dukes orchestra expressed.
Yet the nutcracker suite was the first time strayhorn s name was seen as equal to the duke. A familyfriendly and affordable event featuring the music of duke ellington, billy strayhorn, glenn miller and more performed live by ysus. As a gay black man born in 1915, strayhorn would have been shunned if he rose to fame. Featuring jazz interpretations of tchaikovskys the nutcracker, the album has come to be recognized as one of duke ellingtons most important albums of the 1960s. Duke ellington and his orchestra the nutcracker suite 1960. English said ellington s nutcracker came about as a result of ellington s interest in the original composition. A holiday concert tradition, the orchestra will perform the complete nutcracker suite as arranged for jazz ensemble by the incomparable duke ellington and billy strayhorn, along with other holiday favorites. But duke and billy, inspired by their travels and by musical. Duke ellington s nutcracker suite by anna harwell celenza and don tate. Its 1960 and jazz fans cant get enough of duke ellington and his big band. Born in 1915 in dayton, ohio, into a poor, troubled family with an alcoholic.
It challenged us to think about how the creation of most arts is a lot messier, says. Richman loved it, and immediately decided he had to perform it sidebyside with tchaikovskys. One of duke ellington s most delightful adaptations of another composers material is his reworking of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite into jazz. In pittsburgh, he began his musical career, studying classical music for a time at the pittsburgh music institute, writing a high school musical, forming a musical trio that played daily on a local radio station, and, while still. Inspired by tchaikovskys infamous suite, this nutcracker is unlike any youve seen before. Nov 28, 2014 the baltimore symphony orchestra performs duke ellingtons nutcracker with step afrika. Licensed to youtube by kontor new media music, sme on behalf of school of jazz records.
The show will highlight the jazz interpretations of. By doing this, the original is still fresh in the listeners mind when the swinging. The jazz nutcracker arranged by ellington and billy strayhorn was originally released as a holiday record album in 1960. The tchaikovskys nutcracker suite rearranged by duke ellington and billy strayhorn duke ellington and his orchestra. A collaborative effort, the concert will feature three ensembles. Ellington s band is not keen on tackling it, but he is not dissuaded. The story behind the jazzedup nutcracker the indianapolis star. Featuring jazz interpretations of tchaikovskys the nutcracker, the album has come to be recognized as one of duke ellington s most important albums of the 1960s. This authentic edition of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite, as arranged in 1960 by billy strayhorn and duke ellington, was assembled from the original manuscripts held in the strayhorn repository and the ellington collection of the smithsonian institutions national museum of american history. It juxtaposes two versions of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite on the same disc. Swingin nutcracker featuring the nutcracker suite by tchaikovsky 1892 the nutcracker suite by tchaikovsky, arr. I explain how now theyre primarily for decoration and often come out.
The process of adaptation that ellington and strayhorn began continues today in new productions, like the oregon ballet theaters revision of george balanchines nutcracker to exclude problematic elements like the yellowface of the chinese dance. Join the calgary creative arts ensemble as they present music from tchaikovskys beloved nutcracker suite as reimagined by the great duke ellington and billy strayhorn. In their own unique style, the two composers remake tchaikovskys nutcracker suite. Ellingtonstrayhorntchaikovsky nutcracker suite act one. As orchestrators and harmonists, ellington and strayhorn found inspiration in debussy and ravel. Unfollow nutcracker ballet ornaments to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. The idea for combining the two nutcrackers came about when trombonist art baron, who had played with duke ellington, introduced steven richman to a 1960 recording of the nutcracker suite in ellington and billy strayhorn s superb jazz arrangement. For purposes of accuracy, the manuscripts were cross. When duke ellington and billy strayhorn got their hands on the nutcracker suite, no one would have guessed how tchaikovskys sugar plum fairies could swing.
1384 765 266 979 515 1244 202 1031 1186 583 1180 1529 660 1261 70 1525 854 1037 1305 1010 898 1235 1571 671 772 1097 70 271 1088 966 745 58 948 452 996 264 1422 954 220 1015 926 184 1113