Nutcracker Suite

On this recording, Steven Richman and his Harmonie Ensemble/New York swing in the holiday season with a twist, pairing Tchaikovsky's original 1892 Nutcracker Suite with a 1960 jazz adaptation by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. The idea for combining the two Nutcrackers came about when trombonist Art Baron, who had played with Duke Ellington, introduced Steven Richman to a 1960 recording of the Nutcracker Suite in Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's superb jazz arrangement. Richman loved it, and immediately decided he had to perform it side-by-side with Tchaikovsky's original. This is the first time that the Ellington-Strayhorn Nutcracker has been recorded in over fifty years, and Richman's fascinating and entertaining holiday pairing is the perfect follow-up to his critically praised album Gershwin By Grofé.