Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky could make a dance do far more than keep time: his waltzes can glide, hesitate or turn sinister, while the ballets carry some of his most memorable melodies. That mixture of rhythmic character and melodic generosity gives jazz arrangers unusually vivid material. Ellington and Strayhorn answer The Nutcracker with orchestral wit, while Roland Kirk drives a scene from Swan Lake into a march.