Duke ellington and his orchestra the nutcracker suite composer

While largely forgotten today, the popular album marked a watershed in one of american musics most consequent and productive partnerships, as ellington gave strayhorn. Justin varnes the jazz corner hilton head island, sc december 15, 2017 every christmas is the nutcracker season for ballet aficionados. Ellington rearranges them for his orchestra, turning them into jazz hybrids. The music for peer gynt is all at once subtle, dramatic and at times, haunting. Many know him as duke ellington s longtime collaborator, composer and arranger, who was no more than a noname kid from a poor black family in. The nutcracker suite remastered by duke ellington and. 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. His music for jazz orchestra from the nutcracker takes the music of tchaikovsky to a new, modern dimension that will no doubt resonate with many the way the classical ballet music does not. After offering his take on the nutcracker suite, with billy strayhorn as arranger. Edward kennedy duke ellington april 29, 1899 may 24, 1974 was an american composer, pianist, and bandleader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death in a career spanning over fifty years born in washington, d. For purposes of accuracy, the manuscripts were crosschecked carefully with the original duke ellington. As orchestrators and harmonists, ellington and strayhorn found inspiration in debussy and ravel.

The first version of the song caravan composed by juan tizol and later rearranged by duke ellington was recorded in hollywood, 18 december 1936, and performed as an instrumental by barney bigard and his jazzopaters. Duke ellingtons nutcracker suite jazzes up the holidays. Leading and anchoring his everevolving band for half a century, ellington showed how the american orchestra could achieve a perfect balance of music that was both shaped by the composer while also birthed on the spot by the musicians, while also creating art that swung relentlessly while also achieving the heights of emotional engagement. In his original liner notes for the ellington strayhorn nutcracker suite, record producer irving townsend included the fantastic fiction that ellington met tchaikovsky while ellington s orchestra was performing at the riviera hotel in las vegas. He had a special gift of being able to arrange a piece playing to the strengths of the individual members of the band, and so it is here. Duke ellington and his orchestra, tchaikovsky, grieg duke ellington and his orchestra, tchaikovsky, grieg the nutcracker suite peer gynt suite nos. The story behind the jazzedup nutcracker the indianapolis star. 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. 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. 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.

Music festival in 1958, composer, pianist, and band leader duke ellington. The acclaimed chicago jazz orchestra cjo will debut a new holiday music tradition in chicago when it presents duke ellington and billy strayhorns the nutcracker suite, a jazzinfused. Duke ellington and his orchestra with billy strayhorn. 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. Edward kennedy duke ellington april 29, 1899 may 24, 1974 was an american composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than six decades born in washington, d. Duke ellington and billy strayhorns nutcracker suite arrangements offer an ideal vehicle for shelbys jazz orchestra. One of duke ellington s most delightful adaptations of another composer s material is his reworking of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite into jazz. In august 1956, duke ellington and his orchestra were in canada, performing in the same city as the ongoing stratford shakespearean festival. Ellington is an american pianist, composer, and bigband leader, not an africanamerican. Coarranged by billy strayhorn, this is a remarkable work by the ellington orchestra. Ellington s reworking of griegs peer gynt suites including in the hall of the mountain king and his tribute to john steinbeck suite thursday are also among his better extended.

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 duke s orchestra expressed. This album featured tasty jazz versions of music by tchaikovsky and grieg, which i believe even classics lovers might enjoy as well, the only drawback lies in a few original duke like numbers tacked on at the and which failed to hit the mark, and arent really. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn. Here he takes two old favourites, tchaikovskys nutcracker suite and griegs peer gynt suite.

Duke ellington rarely wrote his music down, preferring to work by oral tradition. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky the nutcracker suite. Nutcracker suite is a work that most of us know from the christmas holiday, a ballet that as a schoolchild one had to see. In 1960, ellington and strayhorn wrote their version of the famous tchaikovsky ballet. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellingtonstrayhorn. The nutcracker suite is an album by american pianist, composer and. The nutcracker suite duke ellington album wikipedia. Duke ellington was the true master of the big band era, although a lot of benny goodman followers might disagree. One of the originators of bigband jazz, ellington led his band for more than half a century, composed thousands of scores, and created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in all of western music. Duke ellington, billy strayhorn and the adventures of peer. The nutcracker suite is an album by american pianist, composer and bandleader duke ellington recorded for the columbia label in 1960 featuring jazz interpret. Through mercer, strayhorn met his first partner, africanamerican musician aaron bridgers, with whom strayhorn lived until bridgers moved to paris in 1947. Ellington and strayhorns the nutcracker suite at studenaker. Duke ellington, american pianist who was the greatest jazz composer and bandleader of his time.

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 orchestra the only ensemble directly carrying on the tradition from duke himself. His band and guest singers austin and washington breathe new life into the singular cultural fusion of tchaikovsky with the orchestral language of ellington. 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. The nutcracker suite is an album by american pianist, composer and bandleader duke ellington recorded for the columbia label in 1960 featuring jazz. Duke ellington, byname of edward kennedy ellington, born april 29, 1899, washington, d. The legendary composing and arranging skills of duke ellington and billy strayhorn also make it nutcracker season for jazz aficionados. Shortly before going on his second european tour with his orchestra, from march to may 1939, ellington announced to his sister ruth and son mercer ellington that strayhorn is staying with us. One of the originators of bigband jazz, ellington led his band for more than half a century. Duke ellington and his orchestra take the a train 1962 official. Three suites highlights the genius that is duke ellington. Duke ellington and his orchestra nutcracker suite peer. Just continuing my upload of the duke s rendition of the nutcracker suite. Just wrapping up my upload of duke s rendition of the nutcracker suite.

Peer gynt suite and suite thursday, his tribute to john steinbeck. Its a work that is reimagined by the composing genius. This album paired two multimovement compositions created collaboratively by duke ellington and billy strayhorn. Jazz was the music that brought harlem to life at night, and the orchestras often performed at a lively pace to keep people comfortably moving to the sounds of the brass. Two takes were recorded and were issued, although l03732 is by far the more commonly found take.

Some people will think thats positive, because were focusing on his. You can thank the san francisco ballet of the 1940s. After 20 years, i am very familiar with tchaikovskys nutcracker suite. Knowing that the russian died in 1893, a full six years before the american was born, this meeting. In 1960, at the urging of billy strayhorn, the duke ellington orchestra recorded the nutcracker suite columbia, a brilliant jazz interpretation of tchaikovskys music. In 1960 duke ellington and billy strayhorn reinvented tchaikovskys holiday ballet classic as a jazzy, brassy melting pot of musical styles past and present.

The nutcracker suite for orchestra peter ilyich tchaikovsky wise. Many know him as duke ellingtons longtime collaborator, composer and arranger. 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 duke s other concert works. Curious, ellington and his longtime composer arranger billy strayhorn talked to festival staffers, and ellington soon announced his next album project would be a conceptual piece, paying tribute to. Tchaikovskys nutcracker gets the ellington treatment. Duke ellington and his orchestra with billy strayhorn the nutcracker suite.

The duke ellington orchestra keeps its transformed the nutcracker suite. In the early 1930s, as duke ellington and his orchestra began garnering success at the famous new york cotton club, the big bands had only one mission. In 1960 duke ellington and his orchestra recorded an album for the columbia label titled swinging suites by edward e. Just continuing my upload of duke s rendition of the nutcracker suite.