'Tis the Season for "The Nutcracker"---Ellington Style!

Columbia Records/YouTube ^ | 1959 | Tchaikovsky, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn

[BluesDuke]

Overture
Peanut Brittle Brigade (March)
Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy)
Entr'acte (Mini-overture)
The Volga Vouty (Russian Dance)
Arabesque Cookie (Arabian Dance)
Chinoiserie (Chinese Dance)
Toot, Toot, Tootie, Toot (Dance of the Reed Pipes)
Dance of the Floreadores (Waltz of the Flowers)

[BluesDuke]

I confess---I arranged each of the Ellington pieces into the order of the Tchaikovsky suite, more or less. (The Duke's original recordings, later reissued on a disc called Three Suites, weren't in the actual Tchaikovsky order, but I did insert "Entr'acte" after "Sugar Rum Cherry" a la the Duke's original recording.)

But it's still one of the most plain fun recordings you'll ever listen to during the Christmas season---enjoy!

[BluesDuke]

p.s. Just to avoid confusion, the titles you see on the tracks were Duke Ellington's idea---I know Tchaikovsky wouldn't have dreamed up names like "Sugar Rum Cherry" . . . ;)

[Fai Mao]

I have always hoped that the little drummer boy wold beat the nutcracker to death with drum sticks while Frosty the Snowman cheered him on.

My three least favorite Christmas characters

[Misterioso]

Duke—an American original.

[Misterioso]

Try again. Duke: an American original.

[4Runner]

No matter what Ellington’s orchestra plays it comes across as goombah gangster music. Him and Basie. It’s just that the big band jazz sound for the most part evolved during a particular period in our history and resonated with it. It’s still fascinating stuff. High living by lowlifes, gun molls and strong arm tactics and deals where if you didn’t come through you didn’t get to stick around to see the rest of the ballgame and you ended up leaving under pretty horrific circumstances.

[knarf]

very, very nice

I have stayed away from lyrics for a couple of years now and this is most enjoyable Christmas music

[Misterioso]

Duke Ellington’s mind was overflowing with music his whole life. You really can’t hear any of that gangster culture in any of his or Billy’s compositions. It’s the same, in a different way, with Basie. Happy music for all his years.

[Vinnie]

The real thing.
The only ballet I watch, the only production I watch. Circa 1977
A shame they don’t have this on TV anymore.
Remaster and show the best.

The Nutcracker. Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland
The absolute best, and the most beautiful music in the Nutcracker ballet.
Grand Pas de Deux . Starts at 1:30 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsL5VzBqTFk