|
|
Kurt Elling
Elling may be the greatest male Jazz singer of all time. ~ Jazz Review
|
|
|
May 2012: Jazz, the universal music of freedom & creativity
|
|
Hi Folks,
Just a quick note to you all to let you know that the initial tracking sessions for 1619 BROADWAY have been completed with lots of laughter and with time in the studio to spare - a welcome relief all around.
Laurence and I worked on the arrangements again and our regular cats Clark Sommers and John McLean played great on everything. Ulysses Owens is moving on from our band to his own projects and further work with Christian McBride. We will miss him, of course, but we scored BIG by landing Kendrick Scott for this outing and many of our upcoming dates. He is KILLING it.
Photography sessions yesterday and today - not my favorite part of the process - for cover art. Also a guest session for Lee Ritenour's new record today. Super cool. I get to sing Nick Drake's "River Man" with a new and beautiful arrangement.
This week I'm performing with my good friend John Pizzarelli at the Strathmore, and then I hit Pennsylvania with a show in Erie and then two Swings Sinatra shows one last time this year at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. We'll be doing some arrangements from the new record on all these dates, so be there or be a box.
Right afterward I'm heading back to Europe for a series of concerts with the Quintet, bookended by gigs with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra on 16 May and the Metropole Orchestra on 2 June.
Then later in June I'm pleased to be joining my old friend, saxophonist Bob Mintzer and his Big Band, at the Blue Note Tokyo to celebrate his new album, For the Moment, with guitarist Chico Pinhiero. Check out Bob's video preview.
Meanwhile, & though I haven't seen the full results yet, I hear that my friend Theo Bleckmann is lighting up the board in the DownBeat Poll this time out, along with Gregory Porter. Yeah! Time for a male jazz singer renaissance. If you haven't heard Gregory and Theo sing, you should. Two wildly different creative directions & both very satisfying.
And speaking of different directions - are any of you lovely people going to be able to catch Charlie Hunter and me this July over in Europe? That's going to be a gas, gas, GAS! Holy cow, that brother can groove.
OK, a lot of music to get to. Thanks for being there.
Kurt
| |
Double Play: Kurt Elling & John Pizzarelli
On May 10, Kurt Elling and John Pizzarelli join forces on stage at The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, Maryland for a terrific evening of jazz!
Each will perform a solo set with their bands and then come together for the grand finale.
Kurt and John have been friends for a couple of years and have appeared on each other's albums. Kurt has also been a guest on Radio Deluxe, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey's syndicated radio show. John calls him "a singular sensation."
On John's 2010 album, Rockin in Rhythm: A Tribute to Duck Ellington, Kurt jumps in with John and Jessica on "Perdido." JazzTimes declared, The pièce de résistance, the track that leaves all others in the dust, is a rollicking rendition of "Perdido," adapted from Ellington's version on his Piano in the Background album, with Pizzarelli, Kurt Elling and Jessica Molaskey having a wail of a time as a hard-boppin', latter-day Lambert, Hendricks and Ross.
Check out Perdido here.
On the Japanese bonus track for Kurt's Nightmoves, John and Kurt swing out on "Well Did You Evah (What a Swell Party This Is)."
Listen to that one here.
There are still tickets left for the Strathmore, but they're going fast. It'll be a wonderful night of great jazz entertainment you won't want to miss!
| |
Kurt Swings Through Europe, Part 1
Kurt begins another exciting European tour with a very special performance on 16 May with Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra at the Festival Jazz sous les Pommiers in Coutances, France.
Kurt had the pleasure of touring with the SNJO in March 2011. Listen to their rousing performance of Steppin' Out, arranged by Michael Abene, with Tommy Smith on the tenor sax solo.
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra has been nominated in the Jazz Ensemble of the Year category in the 2012 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. The winners will be announced 16 May at the House of Commons. Best of luck, gentlemen!
Then from 17 to 29 May, Kurt and the Quintet play ten shows in Germany, Poland, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, and France. Details and links for tickets are in MAY-JUNE Gigs below.
Kurt finishes up on 2 June with two shows at the Meer Jazz Festival in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands with the Metropole Orchestra, conducted by Vince Mendoza.
In Part 2, Kurt returns to Europe in July with guitarist Charlie Hunter.
| |
Kurt Elling has been awarded the ECHO Jazz Prize 2012 as International Male Singer of the Year for The Gate.
The ECHO is an established and well-known music award - the German equivalent of the Grammy. In 2010, the German Phono Academy, the cultural arm of the Association of Music Industry, instituted a Jazz category in addition to the ECHO Klassik, first awarded in 1994.
To be nominated this year, jazz albums had to be released between November 1, 2010 and October 31, 2011 and have at least two outstanding reviews from music journalists. The twelve jurors of this year's jury chose the winners out of 230 nominations.
The ECHO Jazz Prize ceremony is 3 June in Dresden at Die Gläserne Manufaktur von Volkswagen. It will also be broadcast on German television on 7 June. Details and tickets are here.
The full list of winners in all categories is here.
Herzliche Glückwünsche, Kurt!
| |
Celebrating International Jazz Day
April 30, 2012 was the first International Jazz Day, celebrated around the world. It was also the last day of Jazz Appreciation Month in the United States.
Last year, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, designated jazz a "universal music of freedom and creativity" and decreed that every April 30 is to be celebrated as International Jazz Day around the world.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said, "If you ask what jazz is for me, I'd say it's freedom, human dignity and boundless spirit, which makes it a very very powerful universal force. We say around here that jazz was born in the United States, but is owned by the world."
Herbie Hancock, UNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador, organized and performed in two gala concerts this year at Sunrise and Sunset on April 30, produced by UNESCO in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
The Sunrise Concert was at Congo Square in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and featured Terence Blanchard, Ellis Marsalis, Stephanie Jordan, Kermit Ruffins, the Treme Brass Band, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and many others.
Herbie Hancock also performed "Watermelon Man," his jazz classic composed fifty years ago, with students from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performing Arts High Schools Jazz Program, joined via the Internet in a jam with students around the world.
Watch "Watermelon Man" played live in New Orleans and via satellite in Capetown, South Africa, Paris, France, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The full Sunrise Concert video (01:07:47) is here.
The Sunset Concert was held in the Assembly Hall of the United Nations in New York. It featured Wayne Shorter, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Esperanza Spalding and many other American musicians, as well as players from Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Co-Hosts included Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Quincy Jones.
Jeffrey Siegel, who blogs at Straight No Chaser, reviewed the Sunset Concert in his article, "A Stunning Finish to International Jazz Day at the United Nations."
The full Sunset Concert video ( 02:47:51) is here.
The Launch Concert for International Jazz Day was held 27 April at UNESCO HQ in Paris. The Launch Concert video (02:45:05) is here (Flash required).
| |
|
Grammy nominated!
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. The perfect gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, to introduce Kurt's music to all your jazz loving friends, or just because. 
Watch the behind-the-scenes
video and listen to Don Was
talk about The Gate, Kurt, and the band.
|
 Short Takes
Kurt's manager, Darryl Pitt, Depth of Field Management, was featured recently on NPR's blog, The Picture Show.Rebecca Davis tells the story of The Power of Flowers Photos and their connection with jazz.  You can see more of Darryl's gorgeous flower photos here.
v
Kurt duets in Portuguese with Kate McGarry on "O Cantador" on her new album, Girl Talk. He sat in with her at the Jazz Standard in New York in April. Also spotted in the audience that night were Fred Hersch, John Pizzarelli, and Maria Schneider.
Listen to a clip of their lovely "O Cantador" here. v
Bonus video: Kurt talks about the lifelong development and path of a jazz singer (04:42). Master Class: Kurt Elling - A lifetime in Jazz 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
|
|
 |
| MAY JUNE Gigs |
May 10, 20128:00 pm John Pizzarelli and Kurt Elling The Music Center at Strathmore5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda, MD May 11, 20128:00 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center Mercyhurst College501 East 38th Street Erie, PA May 12, 2012TWO SHOWS - SOLD OUT!7:00 pm and 9:30 pm Kurt Elling Swings Sinatra Manchester Craftsmen's Guild1815 Metropolitan Street Pittsburgh, PA May 16, 20127:00 pm Kurt Elling with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra Festival Jazz sous les PommiersSalle Marcel Hélie Place du Général de Gaulle Coutances, FRANCE May 17, 20128:00 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Jazzclub DomicilHansastra ße 7-11 Dortmund, GERMANY May 18, 20128:00 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Movimentos Festwochen der AutostadtZeitHaus Wolfsburg, GERMANY May 19, 20121:00 pm Kurt Elling Private master class - by invitation onlyAcademy of Music Zacisze 3 Katowice, POLAND May 19, 20128:00 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Private concert - by invitation onlyAcademy of Music Zacisze 3 Katowice, POLAND May 20, 20127:00 pm Kurt Elling Quintet 7. Silesian Jazz FestivalCentrum Kultury Katowice pl. Sejmu Slaskiego 2 Katowice, POLAND May 23, 20128:30 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Natt Jazz 2012Banco Rotto Vågsallmenningen 16 Bergen, NORWAY May 25, 20128:30 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Aspettando Estival - FREE!Centre di Lugano Lugano, SWITZERLAND May 26, 2012TWO SHOWS!9:00 pm and 11:00 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Blue Note MilanoVia Borsieri 37 Milan, ITALY May 27, 20129:15 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Crossroads 2012 - Jazz e Altro e Emilia RomagnaTeatro Supercinema Via Guglielmo Marconi, 1 Santarcangelo di Romagna, ITALY May 29, 20128:30 pm Kurt Elling Quintet Festival Jazz à Saint Germain des Prés ParisThéâtre de l'Alliance Française 101 bd Raspail Paris, FRANCE June 2, 2012TWO SHOWS!8:15 and 9:45 pm Kurt Elling with the Metropole Orchestra Meer Jazz Festival 2012Culuurgebouw Haarlemmermeer Hoofddorp, THE NETHERLANDS June 20-23, 2012EIGHT SHOWS - 2 each night!Bob Mintzer Big Band with special guest Kurt Elling Blue Note Tokyo6-3-16 Minami-aoyama Raika Bldg Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku
Coming up!
In July Kurt tours Europe with guitarist Charlie Hunter and then performs a very special show with Jon Hendricks in Santa Fe, NM. In August he's at the Newport Jazz Festival and does three shows on his first visit to South Africa!
Kurt's upcoming gigs in 2012 and 2013 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 (by people who write checks!) 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 . . .
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
