GJC Big Band: Ellington Nutcracker Suite

Our holiday tradition - the Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band performs Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite & other holiday music! The Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band continues its tradition of performing the complete original score of the Duke Ellington re-creation of the Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite. Not many cities have the community support to not only make it possible; we're fortunate that with your support we're presenting it for our 3rd year running. And we're adding some more holiday music favorites this year to fill out the program! In 1960 Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn arranged 9 of the original Tchaikovsky dances from his Nutcracker Suite for his big band. But when Duke Ellington wrote for his band, he wrote every note with specific musicians (some of the greatest jazz musicians ever) in mind. This places unusual demands on all the musicians in a band seeking to perform his Nutcracker Suite. It’s not enough to just read the notes on the 3rd trumpet or lead alto part - each musician needs to create an interpretation that Duke might have expected from his great musicians like Ray Nance or Johnny Hodges. That’s why this important work is rarely heard live and complete in its original score…it demands much from even the best of musicians! The musicians of the Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band are stepping up to play the Ellington Nutcracker again this year. And they will play a few favorite pieces of jazz holiday music as the perfect wrapper for this suite! So it will definitely be a swinging, toe-tapping evening. You’ll hear familiar melodies in a new way…even with new titles to match the imaginative twist put on them (can you guess what “Sugar Rum Cherry” is based on?). Fanfares, tambourines, a bamboo whistle, and a hard-swinging rhythm section all make their appearances in this dreamworld “melting pot of musical styles past and present” (NY Times). Truly, his 1960 Christmas gift for the ages! Poe Mill Music is a performance venue (and recording studio) just over a mile northwest of downtown Greenville off of Pete Hollis (SC=183). (You’ve probably driven by it…but never noticed it). Poe Mill is accessible (no steps) and offers plenty of onsite parking. Admission is $35.00 through Eventbrite, or at the door until tickets are sold out (and our musical presentations have frequently sold out this year...don't miss it!)