Featuring jazz interpretations of Tchaikovsky's ‘The Nutcracker’, the album has come to be recognized as one of Duke Ellington's most important albums of the 1960s. Award winning New York based conductor Steven Richman has done a great job with the winning combination of Tchaikovsky and Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn (the hippest cats of jazz-a-tooty) on the one album. Bonus tracks on this album are selections from ‘Peer Gynt’ suites No. 1 and 2 written by Edward Grieg adapted by Duke Ellington including five movements: "Morning Mood," "Hall of the Mountain King," "Solvejg’s Dance," "Ase’s Death," and "Anitra’s Dance."

• 1. Overture
• 2. Toot Toot Tootie Toot (Dance of the Reed-Pipes)
• 3. Peanut Brittlebrigade (March)
• 4. Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy)
• 5. Entr'acte
• 6. The Volga Vouty (Russian Dance)
• 7. Chinoiserie (Chanise Dance)
• 8. Dance of the Floreadores (Waltz of the Flowers)
• 9. Arabesque Cookie (Arabian Dance)
• 10. Morning Mood
• 11. In the Hall of the Mountain King
• 12. Solvejg's Song
• 13. Ase's Death
• 14. Anitra's Dance