Kurt Elling is among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. He has been named “Male Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association on half a dozen occasions in the past ten years, and during the same interval has been the perennial winner of the DownBeat Critics Poll. He is also a Grammy winner, and every record he has made has been Grammy nominated.

Elling’s rich baritone spans four octaves and features both astonishing technical mastery and emotional depth. His command of rhythm, texture, phrasing, and dynamics is more like a virtuoso jazz instrumentalist than a vocalist. His repertoire includes original compositions and modern interpretations of standards, all of which are springboards for inspired improvisation, scatting, spoken word, and poetry.

Declared The New York Times, “Elling is the standout male vocalist of our time.” Said The Washington Post, “Since the mid-1990s, no singer in jazz has been as daring, dynamic or interesting as Kurt Elling. With his soaring vocal flights, his edgy lyrics and sense of being on a musical mission, he has come to embody the creative spirit in jazz.” He has been featured in profiles for CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, on Ramsey Lewis’s Legends of Jazz, and in hundreds of publications.

Elling has recorded and/or performed with an array of artists, including Terence Blanchard, Dave Brubeck, Jon Hendricks, Charlie Hunter, Al Jarreau, Christian McBride, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. He served as the Artist-in-Residence for the Singapore Music and Monterey Jazz Festivals. He has also written multi-disciplinary works for The Steppenwolf Theatre and the City of Chicago. The Obama Administration’s first state dinner featured Elling in a command performance.

Elling is a renowned artist of vocalese — the writing and performing of words over recorded improvised jazz solos. The natural heir to jazz pioneers Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, and Jon Hendricks, Elling has set his own lyrics to the improvised solos of Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, and Pat Metheny. He often incorporates images and references from writers such as Rilke, Rumi, Neruda, and Proust into his work. The late poet and Bollingen Prize winner Robert Creeley wrote, “Kurt Elling takes us into a world of sacred particulars. His words are informed by a powerful poetic spirit.”

Already 2010 has been a year of expanded creativity for Elling. He completed an extensive tour with the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars and staged Passion World, a commissioned event for Jazz at Lincoln Center with French accordion virtuoso Richard Galliano, singing songs of love and loss in four languages. Elling also just completed The Gate, a new studio recording for Concord Records. Produced by Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt), The Gate will be released in February 2011.

Recordings

Kurt Elling’s recording career began at age 27 with the release of “Close Your Eyes.” Most of the songs on the album were part of a demo which was the catalyst in his obtaining a recording contract with Blue Note. Co-produced by Elling and his collaborator, pianist Laurence Hobgood, the album featured the first incarnation of the Kurt Elling Quartet and introduced many signature aspects of the singer’s sound: vocalese versions of jazz compositions and improvised solos, the melding of poetry and music, and original compositions. “Close Your Eyes” secured Elling his first Grammy nomination.

THE MESSENGER, 1997 (Blue Note)

His second Blue Note recording cemented Elling’s critical reputation (along with that of Hobgood) as a producer, arranger, and composer. Re-workings of the standards “Nature Boy” and “April in Paris” set the stage for a suite of Elling/Hobgood originals and more vocalese. Said the Chicago Sun-Times, “More than any mainstream singer to come along in recent times, Elling thrives on free expression…but as much of a wild streak as all this suggests, Elling imparts a sense of being in complete control of his destiny.”

THIS TIME IT’S LOVE, 1998 (Blue Note)

Elling’s third recording was a romantic outing that opened with “My Foolish Heart,” still a staple of Elling’s live shows. “This Time It’s Love” addressed the theme of love with hip arrangements of jazz standards and new Elling/Hobgood compositions. DownBeat gave the recording four-and-a-half stars and said, “Again, the singer reveals his grand gift for vocalese lyrics.” The record earned Elling his third Grammy nomination.

LIVE IN CHICAGO, 2000 (Blue Note)

The next Grammy-nominated release was recorded live at Chicago’s storied Green Mill Lounge, Elling’s home and long-time artistic base. Comprised largely of previously unrecorded material, the album featured Elling singing with jazz legend Jon Hendricks and blowing by Chicago tenor greats Von Freeman, Ed Petersen and Eddie Johnson. Elling pushed the boundaries of vocalese on “Night Dreamer,” Wayne Shorter’s signature composition. “This CD,” wrote the Jazz Educators Journal, “reflects Elling’s utterly creative genius.”

FLIRTING WITH TWILIGHT, 2001 (Blue Note)

Elling’s fifth recording, “Flirting With Twilight” presented a collection of timeless songs set against spare, yet gorgeous, horn arrangements—and featured an all-star rhythm section of collaborator Hobgood on piano, bassist Marc Johnson (Bill Evans, Steps Ahead) and drummer Peter Erskine (Weather Report, Steely Dan). DownBeat exclaimed, “Nothing prepared me for Elling’s accomplishment on ‘Flirting With Twilight,’ a cohesive, highly personalized exploration of 12 demanding love songs…which he addresses with the legato grace of a master ballroom dancer.” JazzTimes added, “With ‘Flirting With Twilight’ ...Kurt Elling continues his triumphant reign as the thinking man’s vocalist.” “Flirting With Twilight” garnered two Grammy nominations, including one for Laurence Hobgood’s arranging.

MAN IN THE AIR, 2003 (Blue Note)

For his sixth Blue Note record, “Man In The Air,” Elling wrote and performed lyrics for nine jazz classics. Writers diverse as Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Bobby Watson, and Joe Zawinul all received an Elling treatment. The album featured an epic seven-minute vocalese of “Resolution,” the second movement on John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” Biographer Lara Perigrinelli wrote, “The success of these pieces tends to hinge on vocal control, sonic atmosphere, and use of space. Their lyrics follow suit. Elling wrestles with themes of love, life, loss, and the indefatigable human spirit in all of their complexities without allowing himself to indulge in clichés or platitudes.” Then, having fulfilled his contractual obligation to Blue Note, Elling joined the Concord Music Group.

NIGHTMOVES, 2007 (Concord)

For his first outing on the Concord/Universal label, Elling conjured a noir-ish exploration of life between dusk and dawn. With guests Howard Levy, Romero Lumbambo, Christian McBride and Bob Mintzer, the new disc featured Elling’s own writing alongside that of Duke Ellington, Betty Carter and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Said JazzTimes, “If there is a royal bloodline of male jazz singers, I’d suggest it progresses from Satchmo to Mel Torme, to Jon Hendricks to Mark Murphy to Kurt Elling. While there are plenty of clever jazz lads around with noble ambition, none show any sign of trumping (or even echoing) Elling’s kaleidoscopic amalgam of gifts.”

DEDICATED TO YOU: KURT ELLING SINGS THE MUSIC OF COLTRANE AND HARTMAN, 2009 (Concord)

was recorded live at Lincoln Center, and is a showcase for Elling at his most expansive. The concert was built on arrangements created by long-time collaborator Hobgood for voice, rhythm section, the Ethel Quartet and tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts. Released in June of 2009, the recording was praised by Billboard as “a moving tribute to legends lost and a portrait of a gifted artist in his own right at the peak of his creative powers.” The BBC declared, “Elling is just as engaging and creative working with standards as he is when he's turning a Walt Whitman poem into vocal art.” Following Grammy nominations for every record made as a leader, Elling finally received a Grammy in the “Best Jazz Vocal Album” category.

Special Projects

In 1998, Elling undertook a critical, multi-dimensional exploration of the life and work of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. The Chicago Tribune said, “Elling turned a fairly predictable survey of Beat Literature into a more balanced view of a key chapter in American history. Here was an evening of poetry and music informed by a sense of morality, as well as an aversion to politically correct points of view,” calling it “audacious…provocative.” This show was also mounted at The Kennedy Center, Philadelphia’s Annenberg Center, and at Ireland’s Galway Festival.

One year later Elling was commissioned to create an event fusing jazz and modern dance, this time featuring his wife, dancer Jennifer Elling. Said the Chicago Sun-Times, “Having risen as a jazz singer on the wings of modern poetry, including his own, Elling is in full thrall of art’s interactive possibilities.” The Chicago Tribune proclaimed, “Because spoken word, subtle lighting design, fluid stage direction and a heady spirit of improvisation all play key roles, the evening touches on more aesthetic forms than one generally encounters in a week’s worth of concert going. It’s difficult to single out highlights.”

As a result of the foregoing, The City of Chicago commissioned Elling to write, direct, perform in and host a major event for its millennial celebration. Elling’s production, “This Is Our Music, These Are Our People,” featured blues great Buddy Guy, the late author and historian Studs Terkel, word jazz artist Ken Nordine, Von Freeman, poet Gwendolyn Brooks, members of the Joffrey Ballet, Ed Paschke’s and Tony Fitzpatrick’s visual art, and a ninety-voice gospel choir. The Chicago Tribune called the result “Stirring…magical.”

In 2001, Elling created another new work for the Steppenwolf Theatre. For this production, entitled “LA/CHI/NY,” he invited one poet and one musician from each of America’s three great cities to bring the sounds of their environments to the stage. The Chicago Tribune opined, “Elling might truly be able to change the way audiences think about jazz, poetry and life in America.”

The following year Elling produced the vocal summit “Four Brothers” at Chicago’s Park West Theater, which featured Elling, Mark Murphy, Kevin Mahogany and Jon Hendricks. A cross-generational tribute to the art of singing jazz, “Four Brothers” toured Europe and the U.S. in 2003-04 to much acclaim. A final blowout performance in the summer of 2005 occurred in Chicago’s Millennium Park -- a concert which featured Sheila Jordan in the fourth spot and was aptly named “Three Brotha’s and a Motha’”.

In 2004, Elling was invited to perform and record a groundbreaking work by pianist and composer Fred Hersch, who created a song cycle based on words from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, rendered by a ten-piece chamber jazz ensemble and vocal performances by Elling and Kate McGarry.

In 2006, as artist-in-residence at the 49th annual Monterey Jazz Festival, Elling teamed up with composer/bassist John Clayton to create “Red Man/Black Man.” Here Elling juxtaposed his own writing with the works of Native American poets—most notably, Maurice Kenny and, once again, the late Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks—in a musical setting that featured the Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra.

In addition to his work as an artist, Kurt Elling served as a National Trustee for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) beginning in 1999, for which he was also later elected Vice Chair of the 17,000-member service organization. While Vice Chairman, Elling helped create and hosted the first two annual Recording Academy Salutes to Jazz and oversaw the creation of the Academy’s Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards Review Committee.

In 2004 Kurt Elling was elected to join the Illinois Delegation to the Democratic National Convention as a John Kerry Delegate. Elling also acted as Master of Ceremonies at a jazz-oriented “Fundraiser for Change” in 2008 at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, which featured Roy Haynes, Brad Mehldau, Dianne Reeves, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Charlie Hunter, Roy Hargrove and others. Elling later gave a command performance at The White House for President Obama’s first state dinner, where Elling was accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch.

For printable bios, EPK's, press images and promotional materials, please see the news+press section of this site.

Contact: Julie Murray Porter
Director Publicity, Concord Music Group
100 N Crescent Drive, G Level
Beverly Hills CA 90210
310.385.4234 - office
424.203.9346 - cell
310.385.4177 – fax
julie.porter@concordmusicgroup.com

Current: September, 2010

Kurt's collaborator since 1995, pianist/composer/arranger Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a multi-faceted and dynamic career. His first "school for jazz" was the storied and vibrant University of Illinois music scene of the early 1980's; mentors included composer and audio synthesis pioneer Salvatore Martirano, classical piano teacher and phenomenon Ian Hobson, and longtime patriarch of the university jazz bands John Garvey. Frequent interaction/collaboration between the jazz and composition "camps" resulted in a unique environment that fostered a total picture of modern music.

After moving to Chicago in 1988 he quickly became an active member of that thriving scene. Leading his own quintet to critical acclaim, forming close musical ties with local phenoms like drummer Paul Wertico and saxophonist Ed Peterson, gaining invaluable experience in the recording studio and continuing his compositional explorations helped prepare him for his destined encounter with a charismatic and brilliant young singer.

Hobgood was awarded three consecutive fellowships (‘90, ‘91 and ‘92) to perform in the Aspen Music Festival where he played with many great artists including Gary Burton, Clark Terry, Claudio Roditi and Bob Mintzer.

And then in 1993 he met Kurt Elling. The young singer "sat in" (against all precedent) with the Ed Peterson Quintet on their weekly essay at virtuosic jazz insanity; the group, which played every Monday at the storied Green Mill in Chicago's Uptown, was known for it's "beyond difficult" repertoire and completely open and experimental approach. Hobgood had been a member of the band for some time at that point; when it was announced that a singer was going to sit in (nobody ever "sat in") genuine surprise and some instinctive trepidation were quickly replaced by relief, then respect.

The growing friendship soon evolved into the start of a true collaboration. In 1994 Hobgood helped Elling produce what became 1995's "Close Your Eyes", the first of six records for the iconic Blue Note label, all Grammy-nominated. The Chicago Tribune honored them as 1995 Chicagoans Of The Year in the Arts. And in 2001 Hobgood received his own Grammy nomination for his arranging on "Flirting With Twilight".

He has performed both with Elling and with his own trio at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Birdland, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Ravinia, as well as the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals, including Montreaux, North Sea, Monterey, Spoleto USA, Newport, Umbria, Montreal, JVC Festivals in Paris and Japan and many others.

He has played and/or recorded with Jon Hendricks, Larry Coryell, Lee Konitz, Stefon Harris, Peter Erskine, Marc Johnson, Joe Lovano, Benny Maupin, Paul Wertico, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Ernie Watts, Clark Terry, Bobby Watson, Mark Murphy, Clark Terry, Bob Mintzer, Von Freeman, Paul McCandless, Buddy Guy, Gary Burton and Eddie Daniels, to name a few.

In 2003 he received a Deems Taylor award, given by ASCAP for the year’s outstanding music journalism, for his article “The Art Of The Trio”, published by JazzTimes magazine.

His new CD, "When The Heart Dances", a duet recording with iconic bassist Charlie Haden, will see its U.S. release in late summer 2009. It's already been released in the U.K. and has received a slew of 4-star reviews, most notably from the Independent and the Guardian.

And Elling's new Concord offering, "Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman", to be released June 23rd (2009) in the U.S., features Hobgood's string quartet arrangements in a dynamic live performance from Lincoln Center.

A long time Chicago native, Hobgood has lived in New York since 2006.

Rob Amster is on extended creative hiatus.

Born to an unmusical family in midwestern America, Rob Amster has been able to fashion a career in the jazz field for over twenty years. And, in doing so, he has been able to conquer his avowed life-long enemies: commercial television and lazyness.

Blessed with supportive (though musically untalented) parents, Rob began studying electric bass at around the time he started high school. Interestingly, this was also the era that spawned some of the worst t.v. that civilized society has known.

"As I began to practice music and listen to jazz, I also started to coming to grips with the idea that the pinnacle of creativity in American history was probably not the third season of 'Knight Rider,' or even 'St.Elsewhere.' But, to me, jazz seemed quite a bit closer to that high point of creative freedom. And, from there I was hooked."

Following studies at Berklee College and The University of Miami, Rob began his professional career at age twenty by joining the big band of Buddy Rich. He continued with the master drummer until Buddy's untimely passing, making one record with the band during his tenure.

Rob also freelanced with a number of jazz luminaries around that time including Dizzy Gillespie and Milt Jackson.

Following a suggestion from his parents, Rob agreed that he should try to "pull his life out of the toilet" by moving out of their basement, and into the urban splendor that is Chicago , Il.

As if by magic, the fifty dollar gigs began to roll in like a fog, blanketing the bassist with a cloak of comforts including food, heat, and bass strings.

By the time he reached his mid-twenties, Rob had amassed recording and performing credits with artists including: Paquito D'Rivera, Fareed Haque, Joe Lovano, Howard Levy, and many others. In addition, he freelanced, played sessions, and practiced and practiced playing the electric bass. He also shook Sting's hand on two separate occasions.

As he entered his later twenties, Rob began to practice the double bass in earnest. While he started playing more and more gigs on upright, Rob met and began performing with a young Chicago-based singer named Kurt Elling. This association led to Rob's playing on the sessions that became the basis for Kurt's first recording (on Blue Note), "Close Your Eyes."

During this period, Rob toured with Maynard Ferguson, played with Larry Coryell, and started a five year association with Von Freeman. He also got the chance to play with a number of other jazz heavyweights, including John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette, Steve Coleman, Chico Freeman and others.

Since 1995, Rob Amster has been the first call bassist for Kurt Elling's groups, from duo to symphony orchestra. It is through this association that Rob has been able to continue his lifelong fight against lazyness. "Sometimes I do computer stuff on the flights. It usually keeps me awake a little bit more than just coffee. And, I feel like I am really productive when I type fast on the keys, or hear the hard drive whirring. I mean, it's better than staring out the window."

Rob has played with hundreds of noted artists, and on over fifty recordings, as well as numerous good television shows. He is a member of the faculty of Roosevelt University's College of Performing Arts, and is part of Ravinia Festival's "Jazz Mentor" program, which includes some of Chicago's finest jazz musicians.

In May 2006, Ulysses “Bim” Owens Jr. completed a Bachelors of Music degree in Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School in New York City.

His interest in percussion began at the tender age of two when he began experimenting with the drums from his beginnings in church. His youth and inability to read music made it difficult to secure an instructor to enhance what had been identified as a “natural ability.” While opportunities to study other instruments were given, it was no doubt that the drums were and are his true love. At the age of 8 his opportunity to receive instruction finally came, and he not only studied classical percussion and drum set, but studied classical piano for over 10yrs. This assisted him greatly in his reading and comprehension of melody and harmony, which gives his playing a unique sensitivity and musical awareness.

His interest and enthusiasm for the drums has never wavered and because of this; He ‘s had opportunities to perform with some of the world’s finest , including Wynton Marsalis, Vanessa Rubin, Audrey McDonald, Michael Feinstein, Regina Carter, Benny Golson Eric Reed, and many others.

He’s currently touring with various artists such as, Kurt Elling, Dr.Lonnie Smith, Russell Malone, Mulgrew Miller, Antonio Ciacca and the Legendary Count Basie Jazz Orchestra; which have performing in venues nationally and internationally. Through his experiences he’s obtained endorsements from Yamaha Drums, Evans Drumheads and Vic Firth Inc.

Joining in a partnership with these companies has enabled him to venture into the educational circuit through conducting clinics, internationally in such countries as Costa Rica, Portugal,Japan, Israel, Greece, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, and Portugal as well as all over the U.S. teaching grade levels, K-12. Ulysses also is a consultant, and artist for The Jazz Aspen Snowmass Academy in Snowmass Colorado under the direction of Christian McBride, Joe Lang, and Jim Horowitz, in which he travels annually and conducts clinics and concerts with this organization, where educating students throughout the world about Jazz is the central goal.

He also serves on the jazz faculty at The Calhoun School in NYC, and maintains a private teaching studio in New York City, and Jacksonville Florida, at his school, USOJazzy School of Music. Ulysses is also in the process of preparing to record his debut Cd in January of 2009, featuring Mulgrew Miller, and many others.

Ulysses’ vision is to continue operating in the area of philanthropy and combining all of his talents, furthering his vision of healing the world with the wonderful gift of music, and education.

With his humble attitude, charisma, and vast knowledge, Ulysses will continue in great success.

Kobie Watkins has made a lifelong commitment to music. A Chicago native, Kobie has cultivated dynamic relationships with his peers as a percussionist/drummer and mentor. From his entry onto the jazz scene, his accolades spanned from being titled as the “Swing Master” of Chicago to being heralded as the “teacher [with the] alter ego as a jazz musician.” With a foundation laid in playing pots and pans as a toddler, Kobie has taken gradual steps to his current status. As a teacher for both the Troy School District (Joliet, Ill.) and the Chicago Public School, after his undergraduate work was completed, Kobie developed a system of timeliness, discipline and structure that would flow well into his other professional ventures.

To demonstrate his ability and charisma, he holds a long list of jazz greats that he has played and recorded with, jazz legend Sonny Rollins, Sonny Fortune, George Coleman, Fred Anderson, Ari Brown, Bobby Broom, Ken Chaney of the Jazz Institute of Chicago, Orbert Davis, Havana, Ron Perillo, Willie Pickens, Bethany Pickens, and the Dennis Winslett Quartet. Additionally, Kobie is a former resident drummer with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, a frequent player with the Jazz Institute of Chicago, Jazz Showcase Chicago and the Chicago Jazz Festival. His recorded works include Orbert Davis’ Blue Notes (3Sixteen Records 2004), Dennis Winslett’s Soul Journey (BlackFolkMusic 2004) and David Young and The New Republic’s Appassionata (Big Chicago Records 2001). Some of his academic ventures include working with Wynton Marsalis in 2002 at Martin Luther King High School (Chicago, Ill.), acting as a Ravinia Mentor for the Chicago Public School Jazz Scholars in 2003, as well as team-teaching Jazz Perspectives (2002-2003), an undergraduate course at Northwestern University. One of Kobie’s greatest strengths is versatility. In 1998 he played with the Walt Disney World American All Star Band in Magic Kingdom and continued to build a small menagerie of local theatre experience playing for Grease, Caberet, Peter Pan, Man of La Mancha, West Side Story and The Music Man. Kobie also toured with Troika Entertainment playing for the Broadway Musical Comedy, Crazy For You (2004-2005).

Being true to himself and his passion for music that began as a young boy, Kobie continues to pour into other young boys and men. He serves youth ages 9-18 through the Orbert Davis’ Music Alive Program: “Attention for Boys.” Additionally, each summer he can be found playing with a band leading teens in worship at Christian Teen Camp in Lake Geneva, Wis. Kobie is a highly sought out percussionist/drummer in the Chicago jazz community not only for his unique and impressive playing ability, but equally for his professionalism, passion and ability to traverse playing styles, personality types and unique environments. Kobie currently acts as the drummer for Blue Note recording artist Kurt Elling. Kobie received his Bachelor of Music Education from VanderCook College of Music (‘99) and holds a Masters of Music in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University (’03) as well as a Product level Artist with Sabian Cymbals (05).