Oct 18, 2012
Preview: Kurt Elling at City Winery Chicago October 21
There is arguably no other single location in the history of American popular music that resonates more in history than the Brill Building in New York City, where composers like Carole King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Neil Diamond, Burt...
Oct 18, 2012
Interview: Kurt Elling visits his hometown to sing from a new Brill Building tribute
"Man, I miss that Green Mill gig," Kurt Elling declares during a call from New York "I wish there were a way to fly back and still play that every week" The jazz vocalist, who left his native Chicago more than four years ago, reminisces from...
Oct 17, 2012
Kurt Elling Shares His Favorite Chicago Places
On his latest album 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project, Kurt Elling takes famous pop songs like Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" and Carole King's "So Far Away," and makes them his own—experimenting with rhythms while adding...
Oct 17, 2012
Kurt Elling: Stories from New York
Singer Kurt Elling seems to be always on the go, working with his fine quartet and lending his artful vocals to a variety of other projects as time allows Whatever the situation, he brings high aesthetic values and standards He likes to...
Oct 16, 2012
1619 Broadway: Behind the Songs
Our good friends at Concord Jazz have put together a very cool Spotify playlist with Kurt's songs from 1619 BROADWAY - THE BRILL BUILDING PROJECT, alongside the early versions that inspired them Compare and contrast Kurt's versions...
Oct 16, 2012
Kurt Elling Electrifies San Francisco
The man who currently is regarded as "the outstanding male vocalist in jazz today," DownBeat Critics Poll Male Vocalist for thirteen years 2000 - 2012, and Grammy-award winner Kurt Elling (Dedicated To You: 2009), made a one-night appearance at...
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 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 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 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...