When Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn turned their attention to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, they asked themselves a simple question: “What can we do with this?” Their answer led to a masterpiece in which the familiar melodies were respected, but tempos and time signatures were radically reimagined.

Trumpeter Eric Boeren asks that same question of the extensive Ellington repertoire with his ensemble All Ellington. From classics such as Cottontail, Rockin’ In Rhythm and Main Stem to sections from the Shakespearean Suite, the New Orleans Suite, The Nutcracker Suite and The Perfume Suite: these Amsterdam improvisers explore the possibilities within these compositions. Respect for the original forms no obstacle, but rather the starting point for new arrangements.

The ensemble continually searches for what Ellington himself called ’the inbetween’: that in-between space where innovation emerges.