Jun 30, 2011
Kurt Elling in Ottawa: A memorable performance
Since emerging in the mid-1990s, Chicagoan Kurt Elling has grown into one of his generation's finest jazz singers An astute interpreter of standards, as well as a clever lyric adapter of instrumental music by everyone from Pat Metheny and Lyle...
Jun 28, 2011
Kurt Elling in Toronto: A night to remember
On Monday evening, fans had a few hard choices to make among the headliners At Koerner Hall, award-winning Dee Dee Bridgewater paid tribute to Lady Day Meanwhile at the Enwave Theatre, Kurt Elling took to the stage before an equally...
Jun 28, 2011
Kurt Elling: A voice that carries
One of the challenges in putting together a festival program is matching artists and venues, and Monday's show by singer Kurt Elling at the Enwave Theatre was an absolutely perfect pairing Not only was the hall the right size, big enough for...
Jun 28, 2011
Kurt Elling On Top of His Game at the Toronto Jazz Festival
The Enwave Theatre was filled to the rafters Monday night for a powerhouse performance by American vocalist Kurt Elling and his quartet Elling burst onto the international jazz scene in 1995 with his debut release on Blue Note Records, Close...
Jun 26, 2011
Kurt Elling shines with inexhaustible, room-filling voice
Kurt Elling gave a blockbuster of a performance on Sunday night, thrilling listeners in the packed National Arts Centre Studio with his seemingly inexhaustible, room-filling voice and dramatic songs that swept from one emotional extreme to the...
Jun 18, 2011
JazzWeek’s 2011 Record of the Year: THE GATE
JazzWeek, the weekly online publication dedicated to jazz and jazz radio programming, announced its 2011 JazzWeek Awards at the annual JazzWeek Summit on June 18 in Rochester, New York The JazzWeek Awards cover thirteen categories Kurt...
Jun 11, 2011
Going Up to Jerusalem with Kurt Elling
In recent years, my greatest fantasy would have been to spend the day talking music with my favorite singer in the world, Kurt Elling, while taking him to my favorite spot in the world, the underground tunnel that runs along the western wall of...
Jun 11, 2011
Kurt Elling: Jazz Journalists Association 2011 Male Singer of the Year
The Jazz Journalists Association has named Kurt Elling its Male Singer of the Year! The fifteenth annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards ceremony was held June 11, 2011 at City Winery in New York This is Kurt's seventh JJA Jazz Award...
Jun 07, 2011
Vocal CD of the Month – “Kurt Elling: The Gate”
Kurt Elling's "The Gate" is his most provocative, hippest and coolest recording to date Produced by the Grammy-winning Don Was, this nine-track set features the vocalist providing singing lessons (in terms of creative phrasing, astounding...
Jun 05, 2011
Kurt Elling: 21st Century Jazz Vocalist
Finding a CD featuring jazzy interpretations of King Crimson's 'Matte Kudasai', Joe Jackson's 'Stepping Out', and Stevie Wonder's 'Golden Lady', among others, should not, on the face of it, be too much to ask for However, with the recording...
Jun 01, 2011
Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling headlines Mercyhurst Independent Arts Fest
Grammy-winning vocalist Kurt Elling starts the Independent Arts Fest at Mercyhurst in style In an interview with Jazz Times writer Nate Chinen, Kurt Elling defined a jazz singer as, "somebody who devotes their life to an art form that demands a...
Jun 01, 2011
Kurt Elling: Winning Spins
During his 14-year recording career, vocalist Kurt Elling has received Grammy nominations for every CD he's released Of course, he didn't actually win for any of his first seven mostly original efforts But he finally collected a Best Jazz Vocal...