The Nutcracker Suite (Duke Ellington album)

The Nutcracker Suite is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for Columbia Records in 1960 featuring jazz interpretations of the 1892 ballet "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.^[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[3]

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 music
Label	Columbia
Duke Ellington chronology
Blues in Orbit (1960) The Nutcracker Suite (1960) Piano in the Background (1960)

Track listing

All compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

1. "Overture" – 3:22
2. "Toot Toot Tootie Toot (Dance of the Reed-Pipes)" – 2:30
3. "Peanut Brittle Brigade (March)" – 4:37
4. "Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy)" – 3:05
5. "Entr'acte" – 1:53
6. "Volga Vouty (Russian Dance)" – 2:52
7. "Chinoiserie (Chinese Dance)" – 2:50
8. "Danse of the Floreadores (Waltz of the Flowers)" – 4:04
9. "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