May 03, 2014
“Hoods, Horns & Hooch” at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival
It's 1955, every town has it own ballroom, big-band and vocalists and swing's the thing Well no it isn't, actually Unless you're the producer of BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night In which case you gather musical...
Mar 21, 2014
On the Beat: Kurt Elling & SNJO. February 2014.
I have an admission: I don't really like jazz singers There are exceptions – some, like Billie Holliday, are so emotional, so raw, that I find it hard to listen to them – but others – most, I reckon – are so anodyne...
Mar 20, 2014
Vocalist Kurt Elling explores the wide world of jazz — with a twist
Of all the exotic locales he could be in, has been in, will be in again quite soon, this one seems a little less so In fact, take a look at Kurt Elling's website, and not only are the jazz vocalist's travels well-documented in the...
Feb 26, 2014
Scottish National Jazz Orchestra on song with Kurt Elling at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Of all the illustrious guests SNJO has welcomed to Scotland, Kurt Elling seems to be the one who has made himself most at home This might be because the Chicagoan singer spent a year in Edinburgh as a student and used to catch the then regular...
Feb 24, 2014
Stellar: Kurt Elling and the SNJO, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Jazz singers are not in short supply these days, but genuinely great ones are always a rarity to treasure Kurt Elling is undoubtedly in that category, and the latest phase of his ongoing collaboration with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra...
Feb 24, 2014
Kurt Elling & Scottish National Jazz Orchestra – Syntopicon
This musical project was inspired by the 'Syntopicon', a cross referencing index for 'Great Books of the Western World' published by Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1952 SNJO director Tommy Smith bought the entire 54 volumes in...
Feb 24, 2014
Review: Scottish National Jazz Orchestra with Kurt Elling
Just as one American, Rene Marie, realised the deep gospel-blues potential in singing Loch Lomond, so another one has confirmed The Loch Tay Boat Song's latent jazz ballad status Because although he gave his sources - the Corries - as...
Feb 24, 2014
The Ideas Men – An Evening with Kurt Elling and The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra
You know, bookish, thoughtful people are not at all introverted and unapproachable Just get into a conversation with a librarian about their favourite stories from childhood and you will see what I mean In a series of weekend concerts, the...
Feb 19, 2014
Kurt Elling sings the praises of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra has attracted many compliments in the past few years After working with the orchestra as its featured soloist in 2012, American trumpeter Randy Brecker volunteered that SNJO "is among the very best jazz...
Feb 15, 2014
Encyclopaedia prompts SNJO-Kurt Elling collaboration
You can thank the Encyclopaedia Britannica for the latest collaboration between the SNJO and Kurt Elling Saxophonist Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra he directs have never been loath to engage with big ideas as well as big...
Feb 13, 2014
In Dakota show, Kurt Elling makes jazz standards his own
Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling, who sang at the Dakota on Thursday night, is a masterful reinventor of songs He seems to have no trepidation about taking on standards you've heard a zillion times that have been (almost) indelibly identified...
Feb 10, 2014
Kurt Elling Returns to the Dakota in Minneapolis, February 13
"If there is a royal bloodline of male jazz singers, I'd suggest it progresses from Satchmo to Mel Torme to Jon Hendricks to Mark Murphy to Kurt Elling" ~ JazzTimes Kurt Elling, arguably the greatest jazz singer of his generation, has...