Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite by Anna Harwell Celenza and illustrated by Don Tate (Charlesbridge, 2011) tells the story of the creation of Duke Ellington’s unclassifiable jazz redefinition of the classic Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. I must admit that I absolutely love the music from Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet and my husband has converted me to jazz in general, so this was a fascinating story and it was fun to listen to the music with familiar themes.
The true story has been fictionalized in the conversations Duke Ellington has with his band as they approach his reworked music. I loved listening to the CD of the music (included with the book), and I enjoyed the illustrations (ink, watercolor, and chalk) which help capture Duke Ellington’s creativity in reinventing the classic themes to fit 1960s Las Vegas.
Note: I received a review copy from the publisher for consideration for the 2011 Cybils awards.
