East Stroudsburg University and The Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection present the “Duke Ellington Nutcracker Suite” at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Cecilia Cohen Recital Hall at the Fine & Performing Arts Center on campus.

Performing the big band arrangement of the classic will be the 16-piece Water Gap Jazz Orchestra, with narration by noted jazz vocalist Nancy Reed and Edward Kennedy Ellington II, Duke’s grandson.

This is the second year for the concert at ESU. Jazz program coordinator Matt Vashlishan set up a concert with the Water Gap Jazz Orchestra, the group originally formed by the late Phil Woods, alto sax legend.

The Duke Ellington “Nutcracker” was written in 1960 when Duke and Billy Strayhorn, his longtime collaborator, put their distinctive big band sound on Peter Tchaikovsky’s 1892 ballet music. The Ellington Orchestra recording was a hit when released, then fell into relative obscurity. But since the score was published in 2010, orchestras are taking it up for Christmas performances.

Ellington’s “Nutcracker” takes the familiar music and jazzes it up in lively and difficult-to-play ways. “Dance of the Reed-Pipes” becomes “Toot Toot Tootie Toot.” The toy soldier “March” becomes “Peanut Brittle Brigade.” And “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy” becomes “Sugar Rum Cherry.”

Vashlishan describes it as a very difficult piece for the ensemble to play, with each part virtuosic.

“There are a lot of disconnected tempos,” Edward Ellington notes. “He used every instrument.”

“Originally it takes about 35 minutes to perform,” Vashlishan says. “I extend a few sections to allow for improvisation, which makes it a bit longer. We are also performing one or two extra pieces. We always feature Nancy for a tune.”

He also notes that jazz luminary Dan Block will be joining the group on clarinet and tenor sax again this year.

“Combined with Jay Rattman (a young wind virtuoso who grew up in Stroudsburg) it is a clarinet tour de force that is very much needed for this music, and a special treat to hear.”

All proceeds from ticket sales go to the musicians and to support the Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection at ESU. Tickets can be purchased, by visiting esufoundation.org/Nutcracker2018.