Kurt Elling

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

 
July 2011:  Hot Nights & Cool Jazz

 

Kurt EllingHello Dear Friends,

 

Thanks once again for your kind interest in my work.  Several great opportunities are coming up to hear me in various settings.  I'll be at North Sea Jazz in Rotterdam coming right up.  One set with with Al Jarreau, Jon Hendricks and the Metropole Orchestra with Vince Mendoza, one with the Kl�vers Big Band from Denmark, one VIP gig in a dues setting with Mads B�rentzen (piano) and one masterclass (whew!).  Hope to see some of you there.

 

Jens Kl�vers will also be bringing his great big band to the US this October to hit with me at The Green Mill in Chicago and at Birdland in NYC.  Super cool.

 

I am also working on some new writing projects with Fred Hersch, and have been working on and off with the very swinging Bill Charlap.  All very exciting for me.  Within my own band I am happy to announce the return of Clark Sommers to the bass chair as Harish Raghavan moves on to a position with Ambrose Akinmusire.

 

Anyway, enjoy the summer!

 

KE

 


North Sea Jazz Festival

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

 

North Sea JazzJon Hendricks, Al Jarreau, and Kurt Elling

with the Metropole Orkest, conducted by Vince Mendoza

Saturday, 9 July 2011

17:30 - 18:45

 

Three generations of jazz legends sharing a single stage: vocalists Jon Hendricks, Al Jarreau, and Kurt Elling. This unique trio will be backed by the Metropole Orkest, conducted by Vince Mendoza. At 71, Jarreau still shows no signs of wear and tear.  Both he and his great source of inspiration, Hendricks, are known as masters of scat singing.  Jarreau has always called Hendricks, who celebrates his 90th birthday in September, "the best jazz singer on earth."  The youngest of the three at 43, Kurt Elling has been named Male Vocalist of the Year by DownBeat every year since 2000.

 

Watch Kurt and Al perform "Take Five" from the Legends of Jazz Showcase (2006).

 

Listen to Kurt and Jon perform the classic vocalese "Don't Be Scared" from Kurt's Live in Chicago (2000).  It's based on a Stan Getz solo and was originally done by King Pleasure and Hendricks back in 1952.

 

Listen to Kurt perform "Esperanto," his lyric to Vince Mendoza's composition, "Esperan�a."

 

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Kurt Elling Swings Sinatra
Kurt Elling with Kl�vers Big Band
Saturday/Sunday, 9/10 July
Midnight - 01:15

Kurt toured Scandinavia in January with the Kl�vers Big Band, conducted by Jens Kl�vers.  They're reunited again at North Sea Jazz to perform some classic Frank Sinatra tunes as well as selections from Kurt's latest album, The Gate.

Kl�vers Big Band will also perform with Kurt at the Green Mill in Chicago and Birdland in New York in October 2011.

 

Watch Kurt perform Norwegian Wood with Kl�vers Big Band on Swedish TV.

 

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Kurt Elling:  Clinic
Sunday, 10 July
16:00 - 16:45
NRC Jazz Caf�

 

Kurt will talk about what it means to be a jazz singer and the last 15 minutes will be open for questions from the audience. Danish jazz pianist Mads B�rentzen will accompany him.

 

 

And the winner is . . .    

 

DownBeat 59th Critics PollOnce again, the critics have chosen Kurt Elling as the top male vocalist in the 59th Annual DownBeat Critics Poll.

 

Kurt has been named the DownBeat Critics Poll Male Vocalist of the Year for twelve years, from 2000-2011, and was also Talent Deserving Wider Recognition from 1997-2000.

 

The complete list of DownBeat Critics Poll winners is here.

 

Jazz Journalists Association logoThe Jazz Journalists Association also named Kurt Elling its Male Singer of the Year.  The 15th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards ceremony was held June 11 in New York.  The JJA Awards are from professional jazz writers, critics, photographers, and broadcasters.

 

This is Kurt's seventh JJA Jazz Award. He previously won in 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010.

 

The full list of JJA Jazz Award winners is here.

 

JazzWeek logoJazzWeek, the weekly online publication dedicated to jazz and jazz radio programming, announced its 2011 JazzWeek Awards at the annual JazzWeek Summit on June 18.

 

Kurt Elling's The Gate (Concord) was honored as 2011 Record of the Year.

 

The list of JazzWeek Awards winners is here.

 

Congratulations to all the winners, and especially to Kurt!

   


Spotlight

In the spotlight:  Clark Sommers  


Bassist Clark Sommers started playing drums at age 13, but switched to electric bass when his friends formed a rock band.  Early in high school, he had the opportunity to study with James Cammack, the long-time bassist with the Ahmad Jamal Trio.  After six months of intensive study, Clark took up the upright bass, and by his junior year was playing jazz at clubs, restaurants, and private parties.

In 1997, Clark joined the Mighty Blue Kings.  They toured the U.S. and Europe, recorded a live album, and shared billings with greats like Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, B.B. King, and Ray Charles.

Then Clark moved to Singapore and Hong Kong, playing with Chicago jazz vocalist Eden Atwood seven nights a week.  Later he said, "This period of concentrated playing was an amazing challenge because I was forced to find ways of being creative every night, with no break, the longest run being 60 nights straight!"

After his time in Asia, Clark enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), where he earned his degree in Jazz Studies and World Music and had the privilege of studying with bass masters Charlie Haden and Darek Oles.

Returning to Chicago, Clark worked with artists such as Von Freeman, Ron Perrillo, Geof Bradfield, The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and many others.  He also continued his long-time collaboration with the Dan Cray Trio, which whom he's played for 11 years.

In early 2008 Clark moved to New York and joined the Kurt Elling Quartet.  He played bass on the live recording at Lincoln Center of Kurt's Grammy-winning album, Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings Coltrane and Hartman, and he toured the world with the band.

Clark returned to Chicago in the fall of 2009 and now straddles a career in both cities.  He plays with Dana Hall's Spring, Geof Bradfield's African Flowers Ensemble, the Chicago Yestet, the Dan Cray Trio, and others.

Clark SommersAs Clark says, "Jazz has to do with inner will and tenacity."  He continues, "Jazz is a limitless opportunity to address yourself.  This provides me with a mental conduit for whatever emotional or spiritual thing I'm dealing with.  There are people I look up to in music who you can tell are not just playing from a craft standpoint, but there is something deeper -- an ineffable aspect to their playing that they're tapping into."

In July 2011 Clark returns to the bass chair with the Kurt Elling Quartet.

Clark's excited to work with Kurt and Laurence again.

He comments, "Kurt and Laurence seem to have a cosmic connection. They've played together so long that there is the potential for the music to go anywhere at any time. As a bass player, it provides me the context to lay down a solid foundation and to try and make the music groove. That being said, I never feel solely relegated to just (being) a role player. I always feel I have the freedom to act upon a musical impulse when the moment presents itself. This brings the element of unpredictability into each performance which always makes things more exciting."

Clark is currently an artist-in-residence, teaching and performing at the ArtsWest School for Performing and Visual Arts in Eagle, Idaho.

He's featured in Cicily Janus's 2010 book, The New Face of Jazz: An Intimate Look at Today's Living Legends and the Artists of Tomorrow.

You can watch Clark Sommers in action on his YouTube channel.

 

Going Up to Jerusalem with Kurt Elling

 

Jerusalem 

 

In May, Kurt and the band performed two nights in Israel.  Jeff Meshel, a music writer/blogger and big Kurt Elling fan, asked to interview Kurt and offered to take the band on a guided tour of Jerusalem.

 

Jeff wrote about their day together in a wonderfully long, personal, combo travelogue/interview/review of the show that evening in Tel Aviv. His article, Going Up to Jerusalem with Kurt Elling, includes great photos, too.

 

In addition, Jeff has a regular feature on his website called Song of the Week (SoTW). His 101st edition compares Kurt's version of "Li'l Darlin'" (from Flirting with Twilight) to Mark Murphy's, with audio clips to compare and contrast by the Count Basie Orchestra, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, The Real Group, Mark Murphy, and Kurt Elling.

 

You can read both of these on his website, Jeff Meshel's World.  Enjoy! 

 

Going Up to Jerusalem with Kurt Elling 

 

101: Kurt Elling, "Li'l Darlin'" 


The Gate cover
The Gate   
Kurt Elling with Laurence Hobgood, and featuring John Patitucci, John McLean, Bob Mintzer, Terreon Gully, Kobie Watkins, and Lenny Castro. Produced by Don Was.

 

Watch the behind-the-scenes

video and listen to Don Was

talk about The Gate, Kurt, and the band. 

 


  Eighth notes Short Takes


Elysabeth Alfano from Fear No ART Chicago interviewed Kurt and filmed the shows at the Green Mill last weekend, July 1-2.  Her webcast will be available around August 17 for your viewing and listening pleasure.  Stay tuned for details...

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The 2012 NEA Jazz Masters include three jazz greats who've performed and recorded with Kurt and Laurence. With this class, the NEA is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the NEA Jazz Masters Awards, which recognize outstanding musicians for their lifetime achievements and significant contributions to the development and performance of jazz.  The three are:

Saxophonist Von Freeman
Vocalist Sheila Jordan
Bassist Charlie Haden

The two other 2012 Jazz Masters are Jack DeJohnette and Jimmy Owens. 

Congratulations to all the Jazz Masters!

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Kurt offers small master classes and private lessons in New York City as his busy touring schedule allows.  For details and further information, please see Master Classes & Private Lessons with Kurt Elling on Kurt's Facebook page.

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The new edition of Lyrics, Kurt's first book, will be out this summer, published by Circumstantial Productions. It features a revised and expanded introduction and six previously unpublished lyrics. Watch for it in Kurt's Store.

 

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JULY - AUGUST Gigs
July 9, 2011
Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, & Al Jarreau
with the Metropole Orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza
Ahoy - Amazon
North Sea Jazz Festival
Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

 

July 9/10, 2011
Kurt Elling Swings Sinatra with the Kl�vers Big Band
Ahoy - Amazon
North Sea Jazz Festival
Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

July 10, 2011
Kurt Elling Clinic / Master Class
NRC Jazz Caf�
North Sea Jazz Festival
Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

July 29, 2011
Kurt Elling Quartet with John McLean
Cooperstown Summer Music Festival
Otesaga Resort Hotel
Cooperstown, NY

August 17, 2011
Jazz at the Bowl:  Joni's Jazz
Joni Mitchell with special guests, including Kurt Elling
Hollywood Bowl
2301 North Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA

August 27, 2011
Kurt Elling Quartet with John McLean
Lewiston Jazz Festival -FREE!
Main Stage - 4th and Center
Lewiston, NY

September 3, 2011
Kurt Elling Quartet with John McLean
Grand Hotel Tea Garden
Grand Hotel
1 Grand Hotel Avenue
Mackinac Island, MI

 

Coming up 

Kurt's upcoming gigs in 2011 are on the Touring page on his website. That's where you'll always find the most current information. Check there often, as new dates are always being added.

 

To bring the KEQ to a stage near you

Kurt and Laurence are on the road about 200 nights a year. They only perform where they've been invited and they don't get to set their own itinerary.

 

To hear Kurt and the band play in your city, region, or country, please ask your favorite jazz clubs or festivals to book them through Kurt's new booking agency, IMN (International Music Network). Thank you! 



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from on the road, too.

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Your Moment of Elling . . .


Jazz is a music that grew out of the blues,
Gospel music, European marches,
European instrumentation, slave songs.
It's music that relies largely on improvisation
and a spirit of creativity in this moment.
It's music that's a collaborative music --
everyone who's on the stage who's performing
has some amount of say
in what the final outcome is.
The smaller the group the more
it is democratic for it to work out.