Blog
Jul 26, 2012
Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter Trio, Salon Elegance
Jazz is a broad church; that a-z in the middle gives a clue to its inclusivity All the same, and even at a time when jazz musicians are increasingly embracing the music all around them, there can't be too many jazz repertoires that namecheck...
Jul 26, 2012
Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival
THE joke first The Charlie Hunter trio consists of drummer Derek Phillips and Hunter, who fills the role of both solo guitarist and bass player on his trademark 8-string guitar From the outset they set up a relentless, virtuoso rhythmic groove...
Jun 05, 2012
Brilliant choice: Singer to reinterpret work by songwriting royalty
Grammy Award-winning Kurt Elling, regarded as one of music's great jazz vocalists, will be one of the stars at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz this August He joins a stellar line-up that includes master guitarist Earl Klugh, trombone ace...
May 13, 2012
Kurt Elling avoids traps in paying tribute to Sinatra
Tribute concerts can present daunting challenges, but singer Kurt Elling obviously knows how to avoid them The reason is fairly simple: he is too good a performer to get caught up doing sappy versions of another person's material He also is too...
May 11, 2012
Music preview: Kurt Elling to croon classic Sinatra songs
When vocalist Kurt Elling was last in Pittsburgh, he sang with the Bob Mintzer Big Band at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild Jazz Hall He'll be back there for two shows Saturday but in a much different setting -- with just a backing quintet And...
May 10, 2012
Kurt Elling following in Sinatra’s vocal steps
Singer Kurt Elling admits there are risks to doing tributes to great artists, but says it is "part and parcel" of being a jazz performer But he says paying homage to Frank Sinatra has its own special demands "Sinatra has his own cache," he...
May 09, 2012
A fine pair of jazz vocalists combine forces at Strathmore
Two renowned jazz vocalists, John Pizzarelli and Kurt Elling, will share the stage at Strathmore The two, who just happen to be buddies and perform the same genre of music, vow there is no competition between them because they are both firmly...
Apr 11, 2012
American jazz man Elling struts his stuff
American jazz vocalist Kurt Elling is a magician He's capable of weaving a spell from a melody - and he lives and breathes the music while on stage Elling's remarkable skill is obvious, but never daunting He can play it straight with the...
Apr 04, 2012
Kurt Elling in New Zealand: Double-Jointed Voice
REVIEW: Dead saxy That's what Eric Marienthal is, dead saxy and I daresay completely oversaxed He owned the first half of the show at the Globe Theatre last night, produced some wondrous work with the Wellington Jazz Orchestra, directed by...
Mar 29, 2012
Jazz maestro Elling heading to NZ
Moving as fast he's been known to scat sing to jazz tunes, Kurt Elling is always doing so much it can be hard to keep up At just 44, his versatility is legendary The celebrated American jazz singer can approach Nature Boy, first made famous by...
Feb 24, 2012
Pinsky and Hobgood’s ‘POEMJAZZ’ collaboration steers clear of Beat trappings
SAN RAFAEL, Calif - "I'm of the generation when Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet were the epitome of cool," says Robert Pinsky, 71, discussing the roots of his earliest creative ambitions Long before he thought of putting verse to paper,...
Feb 20, 2012
Kurt Elling Quintet: Passion World
In many ways the Kurt Elling Quintet was just the kind of performance you'd want to see on Valentine's Day at The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Along with special guests, Violinist Regina Carter and Clarinetist Anat Cohen, Elling paid tribute to...