Today’s holiday album that doesn’t suck is...well, not really a holiday album. This 1960 recording of Ellington and his orchestra collects three big band arrangements of well-known suites, classical and otherwise: Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt” suite, Ellington’s own “Suite Thursday,” and the reason for this disc’s inclusion in my holiday “must listen” pile, Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.”
What Ellington and his band do to this chestnut has to be heard to be believed. Who knew that Piotr Illych could swing this hard? (Well, maybe Piotr Illych did. He was a pretty wacky cat.) The suite takes on new life and color in Duke’s able hands. The orchestration is superb, with melody lines jumping from instrument to instrument and big satisfyingly crunchy chords filling out the corners of the familiar Nutcracker melodies. But the real story is in Duke’s rhythmic innovations around the edges of the melodies. The “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” here recast as “Sugar Rum Cherry,” is played as a slow slinky swinger. The Russian Dance (“Volga Vouty”) is almost funky as a slow burner. And the faster numbers rock out, with the March (“Peanut Butter Brigage”), Entr’act, and Arabesque Dance (“Arabesque Cookie”) swinging so hard that even the most seasoned swing dancer would break a sweat on the ballroom floor.
After years of my sister’s ballet class dancing the Nutcracker, I never thought of the music as a holiday must listen, but this recording changed my mind. Duke and his band turn it into a modern holiday classic. The rest of the album is OK, but the first nine tracks are on heavy rotation during the holidays.
(Originally posted on Jarrett House North)
Article comments
1 - David
Profoundly happy music.
2 - James
A few years ago I heard this album used as the soundtrack for a dance recital in Chicago entitled "Nuts and Bolts." It was a bit of a funkier take on the traditional Nutcracker Suite. I have been in love with Ellington's Three Suites ever since and I am on my second copy of it. Excellent choice!!!!
3 - andrea
Just heard the 3 Tchaikovski pieces from this album on radio canada and thought it was absolutely awesome. Can't wait to add it to my collection. The orchestrations are superb. I can certainly see how this album could become a perennial favourite at this time of year.
4 - Dan Vera
I can't agree with your review more.
However I would point out that the arrangements on this CD were all made by Billy Strayhorn -- Ellington's arranger par excellence. If you read the award winning Strayhorn biography "Lush Life" it goes in quite a bit of detail on Strayhorn's work with the Nutcracker Suite. Just a stunning bit of arranging and transformation.