1619 Broadway

Concord Records | 2012

This recording, also Grammy nominated, honors and celebrates the locale that the London Telegraph called “the most important generator of popular songs in the Western world.” Elling’s interpretations and signature arrangements of songs like “On Broadway,” “A House Is Not A Home” nd “So Far Away” made this another unexpected step, guaranteed to further solidify his reputation for thrilling innovation and superb craftsmanship. All About Jazz declared, “Kurt Elling has few peers in the realm of male jazz vocals where sheer inventiveness and muscularity are concerned. He further establishes himself as the preeminent vocalist with the ambitious and successful 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project.“

Track Listing

  • On Broadway
  • Come Fly With Me
  • You Send Me
  • I Only Have Eyes For You
  • I'm Satisfied
  • A House is Not A Home
  • Shopping For Clothes
  • So Far Away
  • Pleasant Valley Sunday
  • An American Tune

  • Music by Duke Ellington & Jimmy Hamilton
    Lyric by Kurt Elling

    Every day bleeds away when I face it without you.
    Everything’s grey, and I cut away from sunshine’s rays without you.
    Every song’s minor and tragic.
    That’s every day that goes by without love’s magic.

    I’m drowning – under the sound of the clock’s ticking.
    It’s crushing all my dreams and all my little hopes of loving.
    It’s a beating of beats that repeats and repeats
    And it keeps me from knowing –
    Some peace in the night would be quite alright with me now

    It’s too much! It’s too strong!
    It’s too long – breathing without seeing you;
    Eating nothing, Smoking all my little cigarettes up.
    My mama done told me just to come on home.

    How – now?
    How to go on living knowing my light is where you are?
    And just then you walk through my door.

    When you’re home the sky turns blue.
    Everything’s a happy hue.
    There’s a rainbow in your eyes,
    And happiness is just a kiss away – a smile from you.
    I’m just a happy pappy.

    Don’t need no map! Just come closer now.

    Let’s take a trip / aboard that ship.
    There’s islands of love awaiting lovely lovers who venture out onto the sea
    We . . . We could be famous for loving – two sweethearts just doing the thing.

    Clark Kent and his Lois Lane
    Roxanne for Cyrano did the same
    Tarzan and his Jane – they held on ’til they could swing it
    Boris and the tall Natasha
    Captain Smith and Pocahontas magnetically flamed.

    Girl, you send me – now apprehend me, baby:
    My world’s empty when I’m without you so can’t you keep closer to me
    Aaaaand – Love me, Baby!

    Everything you bring makes me zing like Tigger bouncing off the walls!
    Up and down the halls!
    Say you’ll stay and make every day a lovers’ loving bouquet

    Just so it’s clear to say: / as long as you can stay / I’ll be happy with you.

    You’ll be happy too!

    It’s a make or break / for heaven’s sake / ’cause there’s no faking love.
    It’s a date – every day – to let love make a way

    So just promise you can stay

Personnel

Kurt Elling: voice
John McLean: guitar
Laurence Hobgood: piano
Clark Sommers: bass
Kendrick Scott: drums, congas
Christian McBride: voice (7)
Ernie Watts: tenor saxophone (5, 8)
Joel Frahm: tenor saxophone (4, 7)
Tom Luer: alto (11) tenor saxophone (2, 4, 11)
Kye Palmer: trumpet (11), flugelhorn (2, 4, 11)

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