Kurt Elling’s Grammy nomination for Secrets Are The Best Stories
The 63rd Grammy Award nominations were announced last night via a live stream across social media. Included in the shortlist for the Best Jazz Vocal Album category was Kurt Elling’s first album for Edition Records, the sublime Secrets Are The Best Stories.
Renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, Elling has already secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists with a string of previous Grammy nominations to his name; including a win for his 2009 album Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane And Hartman.
Secrets Are The Best Stories marks an incredible 14th Grammy nomination for Kurt Elling and a thrilling landmark in the Edition Records catalogue.
Elling’s collaborator on the album is the legendary pianist and composer Danilo Pérez.
Leaning heavily on Pérez’s Panamanian roots, the record unfolds like no other Kurt Elling collection. Elling adds evocative new lyrics to compositions by greats like Pérez’s iconic collaborator Wayne Shorter, bass genius Jaco Pastorius, visionary composer Vince Mendoza, and pieces from Pérez’s own catalogue.
“I am grateful and honored with this nomination. Collaborating with Kurt in co-producing an album with a strong social-political outlook has been a tremendous source of inspiration in my musical career.” – Danilo Pérez
Recorded and mixed at the celebrated Sear Sound studios in the heart of New York City during the winter of 2019. Elling and Pérez had planned to tour the album the following spring.
“I am so proud of the work that Danilo and I were able to produce. As I had hoped would happen, Danilo pushed me far out of my comfort zone and it made for very new music. Sadly, the record came out just as the pandemic hit and we never got to tour the material – so this nomination is a real shot of adrenaline for the project.” – Kurt Elling
Edition Records founder, Dave Stapleton says:
“It’s been a privilege to work with Kurt and Danilo on this album and we’re thrilled for them to be recognised in this way. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the result and looking forward to presenting Kurt’s new album in Summer 2021”.