2011 GRAMMY Nomination for “The Gate”!
On November 30 when the 54th annual Grammy nominations were announced in Los Angeles, renowned jazz vocalist Kurt Elling was honored with his ninth Grammy nomination for The Gate in the Best Jazz Vocal category.
Every one of Kurt’s albums has been Grammy nominated. Nine albums, eleven nominations in all — that’s excellence!
The New York Times is one of numerous publications to declare that Kurt Elling is the “standout male vocalist of our time,” and The Gate, Elling’s follow-up to his Grammy-winning Dedicated to You, is among his strongest albums—and perhaps the finest of his career.
Produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan), The Gate is a musical collection in which boundaries cease to exist.
The Gate points Elling in a new and satisfyingly emotional direction. He has somehow found a way to make a deeply personal statement out of the music of King Crimson, Joe Jackson, Stevie Wonder and the Beatles—in addition to providing a new and vibrant understanding of Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock.
The Gate features longtime associate Laurence Hobgood on piano, Bob Mintzer on sax, John McLean on guitar, John Patitucci on bass, and two drummers, Terreon Gulley and Kobie Watkins—in addition to percussionist Lenny Castro.
The Gate closes with a song that represents Elling’s continued dedication to exploring jazz’s past and blazing a trail for its future. Composed by the late Don Grolnick, “Nighttown, Lady Bright†features spoken words written by Duke Ellington and additional lyrics by Elling, who wished to close the album with a cinematic depiction of a jazz musician’s life.
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.”
That spirit is in rich evidence on The Gate –and a musical feast awaits those who pass through.
The Grammy Awards ceremony will be held February 12th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS.
As always, bountiful and heartfelt congratulations, Kurt!