vinyl LP album back cover detail
Illustration by Frank Page
detail photo of album back cover by Styrous®
The Nutcracker Suite, a selection of eight numbers
from the ballet, The Nutcracker, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (link below), was first performed on March 19, 1892, In St. Petersburg, Russia. The original production of the ballet was not a success; the 20-minute suite that Tchaikovsky extracted from it was. The complete Nutcracker has enjoyed tremendous popularity since the late 1960s.
What better way to commemorate this event than with a 1960 interpretation of the Suite by jazz great, Shorty Rogers (link below) who titled his version, The Swingin' Nutcracker?
vinyl LP album cover
Illustration by Frank Page
photo of album cover by Styrous®
The personnel for the recording was an astounding array of great jazz talent: Joe Mondragon on bass, playing drums Frank Capp and Mel Lewis, with Lou Levy and Pete Jolly on piano. The sax section was enormous: Art Pepper, Bill Holman, Bill Hood, Bill Perkins, Bud Shank, Chuck Gentry, Harold Land and Richie Kamuca. The trombone section included Frank Rosolino, George Roberts, Harry Betts and Kenneth Shroyer. Conte Candoli, Jimmy Zito, Johnny Audino and Ray Triscari filled out the trumpet section.
vinyl LP album back cover detail
Illustration by Frank Page
detail photo of album back cover by Styrous®
The Swingin' Nutcracker was recorded for RCA in three sessions—one with a sax quintet
and two with a big band. All of the arrangements are by Rogers. Of
course, none of the music was the traditional rendering of the original
1892 version (links below).
vinyl LP album cover detail
Illustration by Frank Page
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
My favorite cut, entitled Six Pac, is Rogers' interpretation of Trépak, one of a set of ethnic dances in the ballet;
perhaps my favorite because it was the section I danced in, the one and only
time I was in a production of Nutcracker. At just over 2 minutes its tempo is VERY presto, and it's a REAL "nut cracker" to perform (video link below); however, at the time I DID have the six pack to get me through it.
Leatherneck performance - 1978
photo by Jim Stewart (link below)
There is an excellent performance demonstrating the strength, prowess and energy required of the Trépak, on YouTube (video link below). It was choreographed by Alex Kalinin, formally of the Bolshoi Balleton.
In 2001, a Canadian film was produced for television that utilized the
Rogers music; it was directed by Shel Piercy and choreographed by Paul Becker (video link below).
vinyl LP album back cover
Illustration by Frank Page
photo of album cover by Styrous®
vinyl LP record, side 1
photo by Styrous®
vinyl LP record, side 2
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A1 - Like Nutty Overture (Finale) - 5:23
A2 - A Nutty Marche (Marche) - 3:28
A3 - Blue Reeds (Reed Flute Blues) - 5:27
A4 - The Swingin' Plum Fairy (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy) - 2:58
A5 - Snowball (Waltz Of The Snowflakes) - 3:03
Side 2:
B1 - Six Pak (Trépak) - 2:44
B2 - Flowers Of The Cats (Waltz Of The Flowers) - 3:28
B3 - Dance Expresso (Coffee) - 2:55
B4 - Pass The Duke (Pas De Deux) - 2:51
B5 - China Where? (Tea Dance) - 2:09
B6 - Overture For Shorty (Overture In Miniature) - 4:01
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Radio Corporation Of America
Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis
Recorded At – RCA Victor's Music Center Of The World
Credits:
Arranged By, Conductor – Shorty Rogers
Bass – Joe Mondragon
Drums – Frank Capp, Mel Lewis
Engineer [Recording] – Al Schmitt
Illustration – F. Page*
Liner Notes – John Tynan
Piano – Lou Levy, Pete Jolly
Producer – Lee Schapiro
Saxophone – Art Pepper, Bill Holman, Bill Hood, Bill Perkins, Bud Shank, Chuck Gentry, Harold Land, Richie Kamuca
Trombone – Frank Rosolino, George Roberts, Harry Betts, Kenneth Shroyer*
Trumpet – Conte Candoli, Jimmy Zito*, Johnny Audino*, Ray Triscari
Notes:
Recorded at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California, on May 3, 17 and 26, 1960
Title on back cover :
- The Swingin' Nutcracker by Shorty Rogers with his Sax Quintet & The Big Band.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): L2PP-0680
Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): L2PP-0681
Matrix / Runout (Side A): L2 PP0680-1S I
Matrix / Runout (Side B): L2 PP0681-1S I
Rights Society: ASCAP
Shorty Rogers – The Swingin' Nutcracker
Label: RCA Victor – LPM-2110, RCA Victor – LPM 2110
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Jazz
Style: Bop, Big Band, Cool Jazz
Side 1:
A1 - Like Nutty Overture (Finale) - 5:23
A2 - A Nutty Marche (Marche) - 3:28
A3 - Blue Reeds (Reed Flute Blues) - 5:27
A4 - The Swingin' Plum Fairy (Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy) - 2:58
A5 - Snowball (Waltz Of The Snowflakes) - 3:03
Side 2:
B1 - Six Pak (Trépak) - 2:44
B2 - Flowers Of The Cats (Waltz Of The Flowers) - 3:28
B3 - Dance Expresso (Coffee) - 2:55
B4 - Pass The Duke (Pas De Deux) - 2:51
B5 - China Where? (Tea Dance) - 2:09
B6 - Overture For Shorty (Overture In Miniature) - 4:01
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Radio Corporation Of America
Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis
Recorded At – RCA Victor's Music Center Of The World
Credits:
Arranged By, Conductor – Shorty Rogers
Bass – Joe Mondragon
Drums – Frank Capp, Mel Lewis
Engineer [Recording] – Al Schmitt
Illustration – F. Page*
Liner Notes – John Tynan
Piano – Lou Levy, Pete Jolly
Producer – Lee Schapiro
Saxophone – Art Pepper, Bill Holman, Bill Hood, Bill Perkins, Bud Shank, Chuck Gentry, Harold Land, Richie Kamuca
Trombone – Frank Rosolino, George Roberts, Harry Betts, Kenneth Shroyer*
Trumpet – Conte Candoli, Jimmy Zito*, Johnny Audino*, Ray Triscari
Notes:
Recorded at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California, on May 3, 17 and 26, 1960
Title on back cover :
- The Swingin' Nutcracker by Shorty Rogers with his Sax Quintet & The Big Band.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): L2PP-0680
Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): L2PP-0681
Matrix / Runout (Side A): L2 PP0680-1S I
Matrix / Runout (Side B): L2 PP0681-1S I
Rights Society: ASCAP
Shorty Rogers – The Swingin' Nutcracker
Label: RCA Victor – LPM-2110, RCA Victor – LPM 2110
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Jazz
Style: Bop, Big Band, Cool Jazz
Viewfinder links:
Leatherneck
Shorty Rogers
Jim Stewart
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
YouTube links:
Shorty Rogers ~ The Swingin' Nutcracker (complete 39' 11")
~ Six Pac (Trépak)
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker Suite, Op 71a (21' 34")
Tchaikovsky - Russian Dance (Trepak)
Alexander Kalinin ~ Russian Dance 'Trepak' (live)
The Swinging Nutcracker (Canadian Preview)
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Leatherneck
Shorty Rogers
Jim Stewart
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
YouTube links:
Shorty Rogers ~ The Swingin' Nutcracker (complete 39' 11")
~ Six Pac (Trépak)
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker Suite, Op 71a (21' 34")
Tchaikovsky - Russian Dance (Trepak)
Alexander Kalinin ~ Russian Dance 'Trepak' (live)
The Swinging Nutcracker (Canadian Preview)
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, March 19, 2019
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