He has been named the DownBeat Critics Poll Male Vocalist of the Year for eleven consecutive years, from 2000 through 2010, and was awarded Talent Deserving Wider Recognition from 1997 to 2000.

This year's top five finishers also included Andy Bey, Mark Murphy, Freddy Cole, and Bobby McFerrin. Congratulations to all these greats, and especially to Kurt!

vvv

And now it's your turn . . .

DownBeat magazine recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, and their 75th DownBeat Readers Poll is now open for voting through August 24.

Since this is the DownBeat Readers Poll, you do need to be a subscriber to vote -- either to DownBeat magazine or to their free e-Newsletter (sign up now: http://bit.ly/b9M3RU). Without having your e-mail on file at DownBeat, your vote won't count!  Sign up first and then vote.

You can vote only once, and you don't need to vote in every category. Write-ins are welcome, too.

Remember, voting closes August 24, so cast your ballot today.

And check out the Kurt Elling Fans Handy Voter's Guide and the obligatory fine print.