‘The Nutcracker’ is far from my favourite Ellingtonia but, then, apparently the Tchaikovsky original wasn't his own favourite either. Perhaps it just became too hitparade for him, and similarly what's described here as “the amazing popularity” of the Ducal version has been facilitated through its availability as a published score, its use by ballet companies etc. Artistically, it's on a par with his transmogrification of Beatles songs and other pops in the mid-1960s – an array of well-worn Ellingtonian (and Strayhornian) effects thrown at an existing wall to see if it sticks. Although this isn't (as claimed) its first non-Duke recording, it is the first to include the same eight movements in the Tchaikovsky orchestration (lasting 22 minutes) followed by a 32-minute performance of the jazz adaptation. This has a few weak moments but, by and large, it's a rewarding romp anchored by Lew Soloff and Victor Lewis, with convincing contributions from Lew Tabackin, Art Baron and Hassan Shakur (who, as J.J. Wiggins, played in the posthumous Ellington band alongside Kenny Garrett and Mulgrew Miller). Compare and contrast.