Blog
Oct 15, 2012
1619 Broadway: One of the best recordings of 2012
The Brill Building is an 11-story structure situated where Broadway crosses 49th Street seven blocks north of Times Square Its fame comes not from the Brill Brothers clothing store on the first floor from which it derived its name, but from the...
Oct 13, 2012
Kurt Elling: Keeper of the Flame
Roseanna Vitro interviews the acclaimed singer about his artistic development, influences and approach I am excited to have the opportunity to present a candid and informative interview with Kurt Elling, a vocal musician and teacher I have...
Oct 13, 2012
Kurt Elling Goes Pop on His 11th Album
Is Kurt Elling the best male jazz singer working That's a question I pondered after I finished Elling's new album for Concord Records "1619 Broadway The Brill Building Project" Elling has stiff competition in Jose James, Milton...
Oct 10, 2012
Getting Thrills From the Brill
On his version of Paul Simon's "American Tune," Kurt Elling sings about observing life and work from both the outside and the inside As Mr Simon's lyrics dictate, he dreams he's flying, looking down on his own soul as well as the...
Oct 08, 2012
1619 Broadway: Breathtaking moments that work gorgeously
"There's a melody in stillness I can't seem to play," Kurt Elling sings yearningly, somewhere along the break in his natural range, during one of several muted but breathtaking moments on "1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project"...
Oct 07, 2012
Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling revisits the history of popular song in ‘1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project’
Onstage, Kurt Elling is an exciting artist and entertainer He smoothly veers from exalted exuberance to mournful whispers In one set, he whisks audiences through to an emotional catharsis Offstage, Elling comes across as what he is: a former...
Oct 06, 2012
Jazz Inside Magazine interviews Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling is a jazz vocalist for modern times He has always been an artist with a vision The native Chicagoan -- now living in New York City -- has had the uncanny skill and knack for consistently banishing musical borders and creating...
Oct 05, 2012
Jazzin’ Around: A Conversation with Kurt Elling
Mike Ragogna: Mister Kurt Elling, thank you for this interview for Huffington Post and those who'll be listening at Solar-Powered KRUU-FM Kurt Elling: Everything is groovy when it's solar powered, man! MR: [laughs] That's almost...
Oct 05, 2012
1619 Broadway: Elling’s individualist vocal reinterpretations are well worth hearing
This album's title refers to the address of the Brill Building, New York's famed songwriting factory Kurt Elling sets out to cover several obvious selections from its resident writers, from the heyday of popular song, alongside a...
Oct 04, 2012
1619 Broadway: Some of Elling’s finest ballads
Kurt Elling might have diluted the impact of this memorable session by not wanting to seem irredeemably serious (with the Coasters' "Shoppin' for Clothes," and the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday"), but there are versions of Sam...
Oct 01, 2012
1619 Broadway: Redefining Standards
Kurt Elling was a long-time resident of Chicago, but he and his family have lived in New York City for the past four years He wanted to record a tribute to the music of Manhattan without treading through the usual path of a standard songwriter...
Sep 29, 2012
1619 Broadway: Elling has got a sound that satisfies
"Having done so many projects about my love for Chicago," singer Kurt Elling says, "I wanted to make something that speaks of my love for New York" A New York resident for the past four years, every one of Elling's previous nine albums...