Blog
Feb 07, 2011
Singer Elling: “Powerful poetic spirt”
Every song jazz vocalist Kurt Elling hears is a potential addition to his kit-bag of covers "I think you can't avoid that as an artist," said the Chicago-based singer who is about to release The Gate, maybe his most freewheeling set of covers...
Feb 04, 2011
The Gate: Breaking through boundaries
For years, jazz singer Kurt Elling has been winning praise for his vocalese work — that is, the writing and singing of lyrics over improvised jazz solos Elling has set his own lyrics to the improvised solos of jazz giants like Wayne...
Feb 03, 2011
Jazz’s Elling scats through genres
You know it's a jazz musician talking when he says, sure, he'll be doing selections from his new CD on this promotional tour — but the CD tracks will just serve as suggestions for the live gig "Every night we're trying to find something...
Jan 30, 2011
Kurt Elling’s The Gate: From King Crimson to amen
The successor to a Grammy winner is eagerly awaited, then examined under a high-powered microscope Will it be as good Will it be better Will it be a letdown Fans of jazz singer Kurt Elling who have waited a year and a half for the follow-up to...
Jan 29, 2011
The Gate’s Wide Open: A Conversation with Kurt Elling
Mike Ragogna: Let's talk about your Don Was-produced album The Gate It covers a lot of territory, what was the process like putting it together Kurt Elling: I had a number of compositions in mind that I wanted to get to Don approached me a...
Dec 15, 2010
Seven takes on Kurt Elling’s show in Ottawa
First, I'll convey what some of Ottawa's jazz singers thought of Kurt Elling's concert on Monday night at the Library and Archives Canada auditorium I managed to canvass six of them after the show for their thoughts: Anna Williams: "I may think...
Dec 09, 2010
Kurt Elling: “To be happy is enough”
Kurt Elling, a 43-year-old Chicago-raised New Yorker, speaks with Canadian jazz pianist and blogger Peter Hum not only about his next CD, The Gate, (to be released by Concord Jazz in early February), but also about his growth as an artist and...
Dec 03, 2010
Giving Voice to Melody
Kurt Elling discusses what he does with a sense of deep affection and devotion "Man, I just feel so fortunate to be a jazz musician at all," said the singer, composer and lyricist "I have a hard time thinking of it any other way It's such a...
Nov 20, 2010
Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling brings ‘The Gate’ to Kennedy Center
Kurt Elling, the owner of a remarkable four-octave voice and astounding improvisational chops, is regarded by his peers as the ultimate jazz vocalist This week he shares his talents in two Kennedy Center shows Saturday evening and a master...
Nov 12, 2010
Grammy winner, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling keeps them guessing
Summoning such great jazz spirits as Joe Williams, Frank Sinatra and John Coltrane, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling hit Miller Auditorium Thursday night like a fireball Elling has performed in Kalamazoo several times before, but never with a big band...
Nov 03, 2010
Kurt Elling at the Sydney Opera House
Although the touchstone for Kurt Elling's one-off Sydney concert was the landmark album John Coltrane and vocalist Johnny Hartman made in one afternoon in March 1963, the Chicago-born singer made sure it was much more than a warm and fuzzy...
Nov 02, 2010
Kurt Elling headlines Wangaratta Jazz: Three Reviews
Kurt Elling, probably jazz's most exciting and engaging current singer, unleashed the best band he has brought here It retained the brilliant pianist Laurence Hobgood, teamed with the tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard, bassist Harish Raghavan and...