|
|
Kurt Elling
The most influential jazz vocalist of our time -- JazzTimes
|
|
|
October 2011: Kurt Elling welcomes the Klüvers Big Band
|
|
It's with great pleasure that Kurt Elling brings the 18-piece Klüvers Big Band from Denmark to perform with him in Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, and Boston.
Kurt says,
I am very happy to have the opportunity to host the Klüvers Big Band on their maiden voyage to the US. I anticipate a lot of joy in our time together, and look forward to listening to the band interact with Laurence and the rest of my cats, who will make up the rhythm section for the tour. We'll be doing large band arrangements of things from The Gate and from Dedicated To You, in addition to customized arrangements created and compiled over several years of my doing big band dates.
Kurt toured Scandinavia with Klüvers in 2004, 2007, and again in a sold-out tour last January. They also performed together at this year's North Sea Jazz festival in July.
For a taste of what's in store,watch Kurt perform Norwegian Woodwith Klüvers last January. The swingin' arrangement is by Nicholas Urie, who has arranged for Kurt, as well as for the Klüvers tour with John Scofield, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, the Metropole Orchestra, and others.
They'll play two nights at the Green Mill in Chicago, October 21-22, and then a six-night residency at Birdland October 25-30, playing two sets each night.
At Birdland, the Kurt Elling Quintet and the Klüvers Big Band will be joined by a stellar special guest each night:
Miguel Zenón, saxophone (Tues) Lew Tabackin, flute & saxophone (Wed) Ravi Coltrane, saxophone (Thurs & Sat) Robin Eubanks, trombone (Fri) Stefon Harris, vibes (Sun)
Then they travel to Washington, DC for two shows at Blues Alley on November 1, and wind up in Boston at the historic Wilbur Theatre on November 2, which is also Kurt's birthday.
Get your tickets now. These shows will sell out fast!
| |
|
|
"This is something a Danish orchestra can only dream about. We have been asked by none other than Kurt Elling come to America and play with him. There is no doubt that for many of us in the orchestra, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can hardly wait!" says Jens Klüver.The admiration is mutual. Kurt says, "Klüvers Big Band is one of Europe's best big bands. It is one of the most musical, most exciting and most swinging bands I've ever had the pleasure to work with. It is a band loaded with talent -- great songwriters, great organizers, amazing soloists and great people." The orchestra has come a long way since Jens Klüver founded Klüvers Big Band back in 1977 as an amateur orchestra of young music student peers. Eleven years later it was declared Denmark's first "basic rhythmic ensemble," which later led to economic support from both the municipality of Ċrhus and the national government. This secured excellent working conditions -- a very rare occurrence on the Danish rhythmical music scene -- and thus the opportunity for the big band to continue growing. Klüver says, "Finally, a jazz orchestra has the same recognition as the classical orchestras, and that gives us some great opportunities. With our school concerts each year we come out and presents big band jazz for lots of school kids around in Denmark. And this year we worked with world-class stars such Kurt Elling, perhaps the greatest male jazz singer on the international scene in recent years, and with guitarist John Scofield." Klüvers Big Band plays over 50 concerts a year. Some of these are elementary and high school concerts, since one of the band's most important objectives is to enhance the knowledge and enjoyment of jazz among young and old alike, a goal which is fully lived up to in the orchestra's latest CD release with former Count Basie drummer Dennis Mackrel. In 2002 Jens Klüver received the Ben Webster Prize in recognition of his work with the big band. Next year, after 35 years, Klüver will step down as conductor of the Klüvers Big Band. His last gig will be at the Aarhus Jazz Festival in July 2012. He says proudly, "I can confidently say that I stop at the top. Both artistically and financially, it has never gone better in the orchestra's history. We play more concerts than ever, there are more spectators than ever, and quality over the years become so good that I can proudly say that the orchestra today is incredibly well-trimmed and of international standing.
What's next for Jens Klüver? "First and foremost, I want get more out and play my saxophone -- that's what started it all. The interest in jazz and especially the saxophone has been the driving force behind my commitment to big band, and now I'm looking forward to having more time to do it."
|
What Is The Beautiful?
The Claudia Quintet +1 with special guests:
Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann
"Soon it will/Be showtime again," recites Kurt Elling at the outset of The Claudia Quintet's sixth CD, What Is The Beautiful? "Somebody will paint beautiful faces all over the sky." Bandleader/percussionist John Hollenbeck's evocative, richly luminescent compositions definitely possess the suggestive power to encourage listeners to look heavenward, searching for those faces in the sky.
And if you pre-order, you'll also get a free six-track digital sampler from The Claudia Quintet, including Kurt's version of "Job."
Hollenbeck immediately thought of Kurt Elling to give voice to these poems -- wholly unaware that Elling is something of a Patchen aficionado. "Kurt is a scholar with this stuff," Hollenbeck says. "He knew Patchen and knew exactly what to do. He's amazing."
On his own recordings, Patchen recites his work in a gruff monotone; Elling, on the other hand, inhabits these poems as an actor would a role. On "Showtime," he welcomes listeners with the bold enunciation of a television emcee. He lurches through "Opening the Window" with an intoxicated stagger, and he recounts the menacing absurdities of the surreal "Job" with dueling voices: his own and a blue-collar Chicago accent, transforming the piece into a duet of narrator and character.
| |
|
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.
|
 Short Takes Join host Elysabeth Alfano of Fear No ART for an in-depth and intimate conversation with Kurt Elling, featured on the Fear No ART home page and on Kurt's artist page.  The interview includes clips from Kurt's July performance at the infamous Green Mill in Chicago, as well as Kurt's candid remarks about art, spirituality, Jazz, vocalese and his incredible discipline for his craft. If you'd like to listen to Kurt on the go, the rare, unedited audio only interview with Kurt Elling is available as an iTunes podcast. Don't miss it!
v
Have you heard Kurt's funky performance of Woody Guthrie's "Peace Pin Boogie" yet? It's is a tongue-in-cheek look at the rewards of being politically correct. 
Kurt is one of 14 artists on the new 429 Records release, Note of Hope: A Celebration of Woody Guthrie, based on the words and writings of the great American master. v
Kurt's travel is climate-friendly. He buys carbon offsets from Carbon Fund to reduce the carbon footprint from his air travel on tours. v |
|
 |
| OCTOBER - EARLY NOVEMBER Gigs |
October 5, 2011
Kurt Elling Quartet with John McLean
Do#Dj International Jazz Festival
International Center of Culture and Arts
Institutskaya 1
Kiev, UKRAINE
October 7, 2011
Kurt Elling Quartet with John McLean
Angra do Heroísmo International Jazz Festival on the Azores
Centro Cultural e de Congressos de Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo
Azores, PORTUGAL
October 21-22, 2011
Kurt Elling Quartet featuring the Klüvers Big Band
The Green Mill
4802 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
October 25-30, 2011
TWELVE SHOWS - 2 sets each night Kurt Elling Quintet featuring the Klüvers Big Band
with special guests:
Miguel Zenón, saxophone (Tues)
Lew Tabackin, flute & saxophone (Wed)
Ravi Coltrane, saxophone (Thurs & Sat)
Robin Eubanks, trombone (Fri)
Stefon Harris, vibes (Sun)
Birdland
315 W. 44th Street
New York, NY
November 1, 2011
TWO SHOWS Kurt Elling Quartet featuring the Klüvers Big Band
Blues Alley
1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC
November 2, 2011
Kurt Elling Quartet featuring the Klüvers Big Band
The Wilbur Theatre
246 Tremont St
Boston, MA
Coming up!
In November Kurt and the band head back to Europe for a series of dates in Milazzo, Italy; Brno, Czech Republic; Helsinki, Finland; Leverkusen, Germany; Vilnius, Lithuania; Stockholm, Sweden; and Madrid, Spain. They'll be back at Jazz at the Bistro in St. Louis before Thanksgiving.
Kurt's upcoming gigs in 2011-12 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! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your Moment of Elling . . .
Find something that you love
and seek to give your everything to that love.
If one dedicates oneself out of a pure motive
then one will find the answer
to all particular questions
in satisfaction of purpose.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
