Feb 22, 2011
Kurt Elling: A fresh take on the world of jazz
Is there a better singer at work today than jazz vocalist Kurt Elling With his elastic baritone voice and distinctive soul patch – that fine strip of beatnik hair beneath his lower lip – there's certainly no one quite like the...
Feb 20, 2011
Kurt Elling: A Jazz Singer Stretches His Songbook
Kurt Elling was Liane Hansen's guest on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, February 20, 2011 They were joined by legendary producer Don Was in a conversation about The Gate, including audio clips from Norwegian Wood, Golden Lady, Come Running to...
Feb 15, 2011
Concert review: Kurt Elling at the Dakota (Minneapolis), second night, both sets
I didn't anticipate that Kurt Elling and his quartet would perform essentially the same sets on the second night of their Dakota stay as on their first But they probably didn't anticipate that some people would attend all four sets Elling gave...
Feb 15, 2011
Listen Up: The Gate
Elling's follow-up to 2009's Grammy jazz vocal album winner, Dedicated to You, is further proof that he is the best singer of his generation With his resonant baritone and cool phrasings, Elling makes this eclectic batch of jazz standards and...
Feb 15, 2011
The Gate: Mesmerizing, mysterious, provocative and compelling
Since the 1990s, Kurt Elling has proved a most innovative jazz singer His recordings -- particularly The Messenger, Man in the Air, and Nightmoves -- also reveal him to be a modern jazz visionary On The Gate, Elling presents nine songs gathered...
Feb 14, 2011
Kurt Elling’s Elegance Reaches New Heights
Kurt Elling's dark, velvet blazer exemplified his stage persona to a tee; both being stylish, lush and form-fitted for any event When the renowned jazz vocalist took to the Old Town School concert stage, Friday evening, he faced his audience...
Feb 11, 2011
Napster review: The Gate
Let's just put it out there: This dude is smooth Yes, Kurt Elling's a jazz singer—and an exceptionally broad-minded one at that—and yes, this is a "jazz" record, but don't get caught up in the labels This is one jazzist who knows...
Feb 11, 2011
Concert review: Kurt Elling at the Dakota (Minneapolis), first night, both sets
A blow-by-blow for Kurt Elling fans and others who plan to catch the band on their latest tour (By "others,†I mean those who haven't yet seen Elling live, because once you do, you're a fan) This tour is mostly about The Gate, the new CD...
Feb 10, 2011
Kurt Elling: Listen to these lessons of love
There might not be a more creative jazz singer alive right now than Kurt Elling He has the two crucial elements it takes to rise to the top of his world: a stellar voice driven by a fearlessness with what he does with it Score the highest marks...
Feb 10, 2011
On ‘The Gate,’ Kurt Elling reintreprets songs by everyone from Miles Davis to the Beatles
It's only fitting that Kurt Elling will celebrate the arrival of his latest release, "The Gate," with two performances Sunday evening at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights The last track on the album is "Nighttown, Lady Bright" The after-hours...
Feb 09, 2011
Kurt Elling: Divine Jazz
Kurt Elling was one credit shy of graduating from the University of Chicago Divinity School when he dropped everything to do what he loved Now a renowned jazz vocalist, Elling had sung in choirs all through childhood And he'd always had an...
Feb 09, 2011
Elling’s Unflappable Daring
No matter what the room, chances are Kurt Elling would be the coolest one in it An unabashed hipster (in the pre-American Apparel sense of the word), the jazz vocalist's velvety, elastic baritone has a way of making itself comfortable in a wide...