Duke ellington and the nutcracker suite san francisco. Featuring brand new choreography from dcbased dance troupe step afrika. The number is set to 193040s jazzpop standards by duke ellington. Under the direction of helgi tomasson, san francisco ballet has long been among the worlds most elegant and refined companies. What to wear to the nutcracker ballet in san francisco.
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. One of duke ellingtons most delightful adaptations of another composers material is his reworking of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite into jazz. Native newyorker and trumpeter mike lewis presents duke ellingtons nutcracker suite, featuring the mike lewis big band and pianist tommy james. Its a short walk from the sfjazz center to the war memorial opera house, which is where the eveninglength ballet the nutcracker made its. Sat in the nosebleed section but could see and hear wonderfully. Duke ellingtons nutcracker suite with marcus shelby. Duke ellingtons nutcracker baltimore symphony orchestra. Ellington strayhorn jazz nutcracker suitecentral washington university jazz band 1. Find similar albums to the nutcracker suite duke ellington on allmusic allmusic. San diego, heres your 2019 nutcracker assortment the. Set to david bergers version of the duke ellingtonbilly strayhorn.
San francisco ballet chris hellman center for dance 455 franklin street san francisco, ca 94102. Students are taught about duke ellington, the american jazz scene, jazz instruments and connections will be made to literature, social studies, music and writing. 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. The bso will delight the entire family with the peanut brittle brigade and dance of the floreadors and a few old favorites too. In 1999, this suite was supplemented with additional arrangements from the score by david berger for the harlem nutcracker, a production of the ballet by choreographer donald byrd born 1949 set during the harlem renaissance. Duke ellingtons nutcracker suite episode 1 on this podcast i do a side by side comparison between the original by tchaikovsky and the ellingtonstrayhorn version. Duke ellington composer the nutcracker suite, for orchestra tchaikovskyellingtonstrayhorn wise music classical. His band and guest singers austin and washington breathe new life into the singular cultural fusion of tchaikovsky with the orchestral language of ellington. You can thank the san francisco ballet of the 1940s.
This visually stunning, allnew production of nutcracker, choreographed by helgi tomasson artistic director of the san francisco ballet is a graceful and timeless adventure on a grand scale. This christmas season, the joffrey ballet will premiere an entirely new scenario and. Iowa is 2016s nutcracker capital of the world with new. Jazz up the holiday season with a sample from duke ellingtons version of the nutcracker suite performed by david berger jazz. In 1960, duke ellington and billy strayhorn arranged a clever adaptation of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite for the duke ellington orchestra.
A number of the dukes original members of his 19381941 band performed on the recording including. Peanut brittle brigade march this is one of the fine examples of the full ellington band turning a foursided march theme into a great jazz performance. This awesome ballet company was the very first to bring the nutcracker tradition to america and thus it is no surprise that its production is awe inspiring and quite unlike any. The new york city ballet premiered george balanchines staging of the work, which includes tchaikovskys complete, original ballet libretto. The nutcracker suite duke ellington similar allmusic. Students use there prior knowledge of musical concepts and the instrumentation of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite to recognize similar melodies in ellington s work to that of tchaikovsky.
Seeing as how it is christmas, i figured that another mass upload would be an appropriate gift to give out on youtube, and what better to start with, then duke ellingtons rendition of the. Anna harwell celenza duke ellingtons nutcracker suite. Their unique ability to create interesting combinations. Duke ellington and billy strayhorns 1960s jazz arrangement set the tone for this politically charged narrative about the civil rights movement. But recently, some versions have attempted to portray a more positive image. It is not a difficult thing to do but requires a revisionist attitude toward these dances.
The far east suite the jaywalker studio sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, san francisco, chicago, new york. Find similar albums to the nutcracker suite duke ellington on allmusic. Hoffmanns story the nutcracker and the mouse king although the original production was not a. Come and enjoy the classic nutcracker tale set to the jazz music of duke ellington. Inspired by tchaikovskys infamous suite, this nutcracker is unlike any youve seen before. San francisco ballet the nutcracker, termed as the most beloved holiday tradition in the city of san francisco, is a performance by the san francisco ballet company. Principal dancer misa kuranaga of san francisco ballet is a special. 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. The san francisco ballets rendition is over the top in every wayi finally truly understood the story dancers, orchestra, all a 10. Duke ellington and his orchestra the nutcracker suite.
An immediate sensation, the production unleashed an army of nutcrackers large and small that march across the country come the holidays, turning tchaikovskys spirited score into an enchanting. Its a challenge to transform the nutcracker suites romantic orchestra into jumpin jazz melodies, but thats exactly what duke ellington and his collaborator, billy strayhorn, did. One of the most wellknown adaptations is donald byrds the harlem nutcracker. The nutcracker suite duke ellington album wikipedia. Duke ellington and billy strayhorns nutcracker suite arrangements offer an ideal vehicle for shelbys jazz orchestra. Ballets opening night of nutcracker is a plum sfgate. Though from a wide variety of backgrounds, the dancers share the same virtues of intensely elegant clarity, high refinement, and fervent commitment. The san francisco ballets nutcracker has a chinese divertissement that represents a dragon from chinatown, which is culturally specific but more importantly, not demeaning. And the history of ballet, this city and the nutcrackerfind out. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
This lively production is accompanied by duke ellingtons version of the nutcracker suite and features a special tribute to america as clara travels across the country, showcasing dance. Its a short walk from the sfjazz center to the war memorial opera house, which is where the eveninglength ballet the nutcracker made its north america premiere in the winter of 1944. Duke ellingtons nutcracker suite at the jazz loft thu dec 07 thu dec 14 location. The baltimore symphony orchestra performs duke ellingtons nutcracker with step afrika. Little known facts about the nutcracker suite and tchaikovsky. Diablo ballet, hip hop nutcracker bring holiday spirit to sf bay area. The show will highlight the jazz interpretations of tchaikovskys the nutcracker as arranged by duke ellington, as well as many other ellington hits. He also arranged music from tchaikovskys nutcracker ballet, and edvard griegs peer. The scenic design by michael yeargan, setting the tale at the time of. Babes in toyland december 1415, 2019 soreng theater, hult center, eugene or ballet fantastique reimagines victor herberts lost holiday fairytale classic with retroglam new choreography, wit, and whimsy to the live music of swing shift jazz orchestra, playing duke ellingtons nutcracker. Listen before or after reading the nutcracker in harlem by t. On the opening night of san francisco ballets nutcracker season, the rhinestones were polished to a dazzling gleam, the. By 1960, the potential appeal of updating tchaikovskys score was obvious enough to a savvy musician like duke ellington.
The story behind the jazzedup nutcracker weihuan chen. Ellingtons 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 works, really. In 1960, at the urging of billy strayhorn, the duke ellington orchestra recorded the nutcracker suite columbia, a brilliant jazz interpretation of tchaikovskys music. San franciscobased smuin ballet has been performing its. 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. The nutcracker suite is an album by american pianist, composer and bandleader duke. In san francisco, its perfectly fine to attend a ballet in casual or business casual clothing. Event details about duke ellingtons nutcracker suite with marcus shelby orchestra in san francisco on december 21, 2019 watch, listen, photos and tickets. 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. 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.
Duke ellingtons nutcracker with duke ellington orchestra. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn. San francisco, the place, coliseum, bolshoi ballet, san francisco ballet, tchaikovsky, david h. After the ensemble, ray nance and jimmy hamilton take solos, and there is a piano solo, one of the few in this suite. On a night in 1960, legendary musician and band leader duke ellington, along with his collaborator billy strayhorn, decided to jazz up tchaikovskys christmastime staple, nutcracker suite. The audience loved it, and the san francisco ballet has performed the nutcracker every christmas eve and throughout the winter season since then. The christmas eve setting of tchaikovskys ballet, the nutcracker, has helped it to become one of americas most beloved christmas traditions, even though the composer had nothing of the sort in mind.
Ellingtons band members were not so sure that a classical ballet could become a coolcat jazz number. The jazz loft big band will perform duke ellingtons jazz nutcracker suite. Lawrence brown, juan tizol, johnny hodges, and harry carney. Ellington, edward kennedy duke san francisco classical voice. Students use there prior knowledge of musical concepts and the instrumentation of tchaikovskys nutcracker suite to recognize similar melodies in ellingtons work to that of tchaikovsky. Nutcracker rouge is a lush, fleshfueled frenzy of sensuality and spectacle. Ellingtonstrayhorn jazz nutcracker suitecentral washington university jazz band 1. The marquee at the apollo advertises duke ellingtons nutcracker suite. Billy and the duke at their best with some great original material. The san francisco ballets nutcracker has a chinese divertissement that. In 1960, duke ellington and billy strayhorn composed jazz interpretations of pieces from tchaikovskys score, recorded and released on lp as the nutcracker suite. Duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky duke ellington and his orchestra ellington, strayhorn, tchaikovsky the nutcracker suite.
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