Kurt Elling

The standout male jazz vocalist of our time
-- The New York Times

October 2010: Autumn in New York & Spring in Sydney

From Autumn Leaves . . .
Autumn in New York
photo credit: jwilly

October opens crisply with the Kurt Elling
Quartet headlining the Festival de jazz de Qu�bec in
Qu�bec City on October 1.

The weekend of October 2-4 in Washington, DC, Kurt is a judge at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz 2010 Vocals Competition.  Joining him on the all-star panel of judges are Patti Austin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, and Dianne Reeves.

Then it's truly autumn in New York with the Kurt Elling Quintet, featuring John McLean on guitar, at Birdland, "the jazz corner of the world," in the heart of Manhattan, October 5-9, where Laurence plays their Bosendorfer concert grand piano. It's the quintessential New York jazz experience!

Spring in Sydney
photo credit: Peter Nijenhuis

. . . to Spring Blossoms


Meanwhile, flowering jacaranda will be in full bloom in Australia as Kurt returns there at the end of October with his Quartet, featuring special guest Bob Sheppard on saxophone.

Says Kurt, "I'm really looking forward to returning to Australia this month. We love it and have many friends there."

The Kurt Elling Quartet performs at the Brisbane Jazz Festival in Brisbane on 23 October. Then Bob Sheppard joins them on the tour with three nights at the Ellington Jazz Club in Perth, 26-28 October (already sold out, but upstairs tickets are still available).

On 31 October, Kurt headlines the Wangaratta Jazz Festival with two evening shows. He promises "all new notes" in the second show.
He performed at Wangaratta during his first visit to Australia in 1998.

And then on 2 November, Kurt returns to the spectacular Sydney Opera House with the Quartet and Bob Sheppard for a special show on his 43rd birthday.


At last! The radio broadcast we've all been waiting for . . .


Kurt Elling & Richard Galliano:  Passion World
Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center
Sirius XM Radio, Real Jazz, channel 72

October 2, 2010 from 8:00-10:00 pm Eastern
October 7, 2010 from 12:00-2:00 am Eastern

You can find details for how to hear this broadcast free in the KE Forum. It will not be archived.
Broadcast available only in the U.S. and Canada

Passion World - Jazz at Lincoln Center
Photo credit: Ayano Hisa for Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz speaks all languages, especially the language of love. For this very special show, Kurt Elling joined with the great French master of jazz accordion Richard Galliano to explore the many faces of love in a musical journey around the world.

Kurt and Richard sang and played internationally famous ballads of love and loss in their original tongues -- English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Kurt says he hopes to get to Arabic, Italian, and Japanese in later incarnations of this show.

For Passion World, they were joined by pianist and musical director Laurence Hobgood, with Harish Raghavan on bass, Clarence Penn on drums, James Shipp on percussion, and Keith Ganz on guitar, on stage in the Allen Room, with its breathtaking view overlooking Central Park.

Set list:

Chiffre Deux, Nombre D'or/Tin Tin Deo
Billie/Love's a Tangled Road
Rosa Morena
You Are Too Beautiful
Norwegian Wood
Je Tire Ma Reverence
Si Tu Supieras
Nicht Wandle, Mien Licht
Estate/In Summer
Encore: La Vie En Rose


Postcards from last summer

From July's North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, dig this cool video of Kurt's hot performance of Samurai Hee Haw. It's one of the tracks on Kurt's upcoming album, The Gate.

Bonus:  For more on Samurai Hee Haw, including Kurt's mind-bending lyric, visit the KE Forum.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide presents part 1 of North Sea Jazz 2010. Kurt performs "Dedicated to You" at about 22:45 into the broadcast. He returns with a gorgeous rendition of "In Summer" at 32:15 and finishes with "Body & Soul" at about 40:00. Fantastisch!

Videos from the Tanglewood Jazz Festival 2010:

Kurt Elling Interview  (04:12): 
Kurt performs My Foolish Heart and Dedicated to You. In the short interview, he talks about John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey and his guest visit last year when they taped Radio Deluxe at Tanglewood, winning the Grammy, and what's next for him. The Gate, his new studio album, will be out in February 2011.

Laurence Hobgood Interview  (06:10):  Laurence Hobgood's love for Tanglewood and Ozawa Hall is evident in this short interview with him after his two sets at the 2010 Tanglewood Jazz Festival -- first with his trio and then with his trio and the incomparable Kurt Elling.

And in case you missed it, Kurt and Laurence were Chicago Jazz Magazine's cover guys and sat down for a wide-ranging interview.  Read all about The Gate and much more!

Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane & Hartman

2010 GRAMMY winner & double nominated! Features Ernie Watts on tenor sax & the ETHEL string quartet.  Exquisite!

List Price: $18.98
Our Price: $16.68
Buy Now


Eighth notes   Short Takes


The Gate will be released on February 1, 2011 by the Concord Music Group. For a sneak peek at the list of tracks, click here.

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Hundred flowers in Spring,
the moon in Autumn,
The cool wind in Summer and Winter's snow.
If your mind is not clouded with things,
You are happy at any time.


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Check out all the cool new photos in On The Road and Hotel Windows from Kurt and the band's recent travels.


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Kurt's travel is climate-friendly. He buys carbon offsets from Carbon Fund to reduce the carbon footprint from his air travel on tours.

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OCTOBER Gigs

October 1, 2010
KE Quartet
Festival de Jazz de Qu�bec 2010

Palais Montcalm
Qu�bec, Qu�bec

October 2-4, 2010
All-star panel of judges: Kurt Elling, Patti Austin,
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau,
and Dianne Reeves

2010 Vocals and Composers Competition
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
Washington, DC

October 5-9, 2010
Kurt Elling Quartet with John McLean
Birdland
New York, NY

October 23, 2010

KE Quartet
Brisbane Jazz Festival
Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane, Australia

October 26-28, 2010
KE Quartet with special guest, Bob Sheppard
Ellington Jazz Club
Perth, Australia

October 31, 2010
Two Shows!
KE Quartet with special guest, Bob Sheppard
Wangaratta Jazz Festival
Wangaratta, Australia

November 2, 2010
KE Quartet with special guest, Bob Sheppard
Sydney Opera House
Sydney, Australia

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Kurt's website is chock full of music, lyrics, photos, projects, scripts, writing, a great and active Forum, Kurt's Store, and other surprises.  Come visit us often!

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Your Moment of Elling . . .


Kurt's daughter, Luiza, celebrates
her fifth birthday in October.

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Watch Kurt sing Jobim's Luiza,
with Richard Bono on guitar.