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Kurt Elling
Elling may be the greatest male Jazz singer of all time. ~ Jazz Review
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April 2013: Celebrating JAM - Jazz Appreciation Month -
& International Jazz Day
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Kurt has full schedule of
April & May gigs
He performs Celebrating Cole Porter with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra & the Spektra Quartet at Northwestern University on Wednesday, April 3. This show is already SOLD OUT, although a limited number of restricted view seats may still be available (call the ticket office at 847.467.4000).
Kurt says, "I am happy to be working with my old friend Jeff Lindberg on a new orchestral set featuring all Cole Porter compositions. It's great to return to The Songbook for a night in the friendly confines of Greater Chicagoland."
Then Kurt and the band head for the University of North Texas for a Thursday night show and Kurt's Friday master class. They finish the week at the Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, PA on Saturday night.
Then it's off to Europe again, with gigs in Austria and Poland, finishing off with a six-night eight-show residency at the famed Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London from April 15-20.
On April 24-25, Kurt is one of Michael Feinstein's guests for Elegant Ellington, a show that explores both Ellington's musical roots and the full flowering of his genius. They play three shows in the Allen Room at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Kurt performs with the New Jersey City University Jazz Ensemble at the end of April, and then the Quintet goes to Europe in May for three shows in Norway, two in Denmark, and two in the Netherlands.
Kurt closes out May with three orchestra and big band dates in Ireland, Luxembourg, and Slovenia.
Please see APRIL-MAY Gigs below or Kurt's Touring page for all the details, and come on out for an evening of great jazz!
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Kurt Elling & Jamie Cullum
on BBC Radio 2
Last month Kurt was Jamie Cullum's guest on his weekly BBC Radio 2 programme. They had a great time swapping stories and spinning tunes.Jamie interviewed Kurt, and they also performed a swingin' duet on "I'm Satisfied," accompanied by Laurence Hobgood on the Radio 2 piano, which originally belonged to Elton John (it's signed on the side).
The 18:56 clip of this programme will be available for about two more weeks for your listening pleasure. You won't want to miss this one. Check out the cool photo gallery, too! | |
The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) presents its annual Jazz Awards in 37 categories in 2013, and once again Kurt has been nominated for Male Singer of the Year!
Kurt received the JJA top honor in 2012, his eighth win since 2000. Other 2013 nominees in this category are Giacomo Gates, Gregory Porter, Jose James, and Theo Bleckmann.
Winners of the 2013 JJA Jazz Awards in all categories will be determined by the votes of JJA Professional Journalist Members.
Winners in the 27 musical categories will be announced on the Jazz Awards website on May 1, and winners in the media categories will be announced at the Jazz Awards party at the Blue Note in New York City on June 19.
The full list of nominees is here.
The JJA is a 25-year-old non-profit professional organization of writers, photographers, broadcasters, new media producers and journalistic supporters interested in jazz coverage in print, over-the-airways and/or online. JJA Industry Associate members are musicians and educators or work in the music, music promotion and publishing industries or allied fields. The Jazz Awards have been given since 1997.
Congratulations and best of luck to all the nominees! #jjajazzawards
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April is Jazz Month!
April is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), an annual celebration first initiated by the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History in 2001. This year's JAM theme is The Spirit and Rhythms of Jazz.
Any organization can participate in Jazz Appreciation Month by simply deciding to do something to highlight and explore jazz.
The Smithsonian explains why April was chosen for JAM: First, April maximizes JAM's educational potential because it is the end of the school year when schools can not only participate, but student jazz ensembles can culminate year-long preparations and play at their best. Secondly, April is also the birth month of a number of leading figures in jazz: Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Johnny Dodds, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Tito Puente, and Herbie Hancock.  The second annual International Jazz Day is celebrated on April 30. This year Istanbul is the global host city for this UNESCO-sponsored event, chaired and led by Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, and legendary pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The evening concert at Istanbul's famed Hagia Irene will feature performances by stellar musicians from around the world.
Have your own jazz celebration this month by taking in a live jazz concert and invite your friends!
#jazzapril
#JAM #JazzDay
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Grammy-nominated!
1619 Broadway - The Brill Building Project
Kurt Elling with Laurence Hobgood, and featuring John McLean, Clark Sommers, Kendrick Scott, Christian McBride, Ernie Watts, Joel Frahm, Tom Luer, and Kye Palmer Watch Kurt's 1619 Broadway video and share it with your friends!  | |
Kurt Elling | 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project
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Join Kurt Elling's many jazzy friends & fans in the
Forum
is chock full of music, lyrics, audios, videos, photos, projects, scripts, writing,
a great and active Forum,
and other surprises.
Come visit us often!
Newsletter signup
Newsletter archive
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 Short Takes
Your bonus video for Jazz Appreciation Month!  | |
Kurt Elling - April in Paris
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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.
Kurt Elling's
2013 Blue Note Milano Award
For Kurt's latest from the road and snaps of the quirky, intriguing stuff that catches his eye, follow kurtelling on Instagram! Not on Instagram? Use one of these handy web viewers, Statigram or Webstagram, or Instagram on the web.
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| APRIL-MAY Gigs |
April 3, 2013Kurt Elling with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra & the Spektral Quartet Celebrating Cole PorterPick-Staiger Concert HallNorthwestern University 50 Arts Circle Drive Evanston, IL April 4, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Winspear Performance Hall Murchison Performing Arts CenterUniversity of North Texas 2100 North I-35 Denton, TX April 5, 2013Kurt Elling Master Class Voertman Hall College of Music BuildingUniversity of North Texas 2100 North I-35 Denton, TX April 6, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Berks Jazz FestMiller Center for the Arts 2nd & Penn Streets Reading, PA April 10, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Wiener Konzerthaus Großer SaalLot H Ringerstrasse 20 Vienna, AUSTRIA April 13, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet TVP Kultura Gwarancje Kultury awards Broadcast live on TVP Kultura, 19:00-21:05Telewizja Polska ul. Jana Pawła Woronicza 17 Warszawa, POLAND April 15-20, 2013EIGHT SHOWSThe Kurt Elling Quintet Ronnie Scott's47 Frith Street London, ENGLAND April 24-25, 2013THREE SHOWSElegant Ellington Michael Feinstein, featuring Kurt Elling, Brianna Thomas, Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton & Tedd Firth The Allen Room Lincoln Center New York, NYApril 29, 2013Kurt Elling with the NJCU Jazz Ensemble Margaret Williams Theater New Jersey City UniversityJersey City, NJ May 11, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Mai:JazzStavangeren Vaisenhusgt 37 Stavanger, NORWAY May 12, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Trondheim Jazz Festival DokkhusetDokkparken 4 Trondheim, NORWAY May 14, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Nasjonal JazzsceneKarl Johans gate 35 Oslo, NORWAY May 17, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Horsens Ny TeaterTeatertorvet Horsens, DENMARK May 18, 2013Kurt Elling Quintet Jazz Festival MiddelburgAbdijplein Middelburg, THE NETHERLANDS May 19, 2013FREE CONCERT!Kurt Elling Quintet De Parade Jazz in DuketownDen Bosch, THE NETHERLANDS May 21, 2013Kurt Elling with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra The National Concert HallEarlsfort Terrace Dublin, IRELAND May 24, 2013Kurt Elling with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg Salle de Musique de Chambre Philharmonie Luxembourg1, place de l'Europe LUXEMBOURG May 27, 2013Big Band RTV Slovenija with special guest, Kurt Elling & Laurence Hobgood on piano Conducted by Michael Abene Gallusova dvorana Cankarjev domPresernova cesta 10 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA
Coming up!
In June, Kurt is featured in a new jazz opera called That Obscure Hurt composed by Guy Barker and Robert Ryan in celebration of Benjamin Britten's 100th birthday. The KEQ also performs two shows in Florida and at the Rochester International Jazz Festival in New York state.
All of Kurt's upcoming gigs in 2013 and into 2014 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 180 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 booking agency, IMN (International Music Network). Thank you! |
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Your Moment of Elling . . .
Every kid should perform in a music ensemble.
It gives them an opportunity
to feel passionate
about something that matters.
It gives them the experience
of facing challenges,
in cooperation with their fellow students,
until they succeed.
It gives them joy.
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