Kurt's November Concerts
Kurt kicks off November with a rousing program of Freedom Songs with the WDR Big Band, conducted by Rich DeRosa, at Jazzfest Berlin on November 1.
Freedom Songs celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first Berlin Jazz Festival which was held in 1964, just 3 years after the Berlin Wall was constructed. It also celebrates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall in 1989, as well as the American civil rights movement & the end of apartheid in South Africa.
Check out this short video interview of Kurt talking about Freedom Songs with Lucas Schmid, WDR Big Band Producer.
Tune in to the LIVE radio broadcast on WDR 3 at 9:30 pm CET (UTC+1) on Saturday, November 1.
The program will also be available on WDR 3 for 30 days so you listen to it at your convenience.For more details about the broadcast, listening later, & the Freedom Songs program, click here.
Next Kurt performs with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, conducted by Nabil Shehata, for two concerts on November 6-7 in Spain. With Kurt this time are Mads B�rentzen (piano), Ben Wolfe (bass), and Donald Edwards (drums). Then Kurt's off to London for the opening night of the London Jazz Festival on November 14. He performs in Jazz Voice: Celebrating a Century of Song, along with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Emma Smith, Georgie Fame, Jacob Banks, Sachal, & Vula Malinga, alongside a fantastic 40-piece orchestra. Conducted, arranged, and scored by Guy Barker, this gala this concert will be broadcast LIVE on BBC Radio 3 from 7:30-10:00 pm GMT/UTC. After November 7, please check Kurt's Touring page for the broadcast link so you can listen to it live on line. Next Kurt returns to the US to present "Elling Swings Sinatra" with his Quintet at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on November 20. The band for this concert includes Emmet Cohen (piano), Hans Sturm (bass), Bryan Carter (drums), and John McLean (guitar), plus special guests Paul Haar (saxophone) and Darryl White (trumpet). And finally Kurt performs with the Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley, at the Edison Jazz / World Awards Gala in Eindhoven, Netherlands on November 27. | |
Kurt Elling is being honored with the prestigious 2014 Edison Jazz Oeuvreprijs, the Edison's Lifetime Achievement Award for Jazz! Previously Kurt won the 2011 Edison Award for Vocal Jazz for The Gate.
On Thursday, November 27th, the Edison Jazz / World Awards Gala takes place at Muziekgebouw Frits Philips in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Kurt will perform with the Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley, and the other Edison winners, yet to be announced, will perform as well.
The Edison is the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy, the German ECHO, and the UK Brit Awards. It's one of the oldest music awards in the world; only the Grammy is older by one year.
Named in tribute to Thomas Alva Edison, there are three award categories: Edison Jazz / World, Edison Pop, and Edison Klassiek, each with its own professional jury. There are only four annual Edison Jazz / World awards, plus one for best DVD and one for Special Historical Edition. The Edison award is a bronze statue made by sculptor Pieter d'Hont.
The full list of Edison Jazz / World 2014 nominees is here.
Bravo and many congratulations to Kurt for this great honor!
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New KE Recorded Collaborations
Saxophonist Jimmy Greene's new release, Beautiful Life (available November 25 on Mack Avenue Records), is a celebration of the life of his 6-year-old daughter, Ana M�rquez-Greene, whose life was tragically taken, along with 19 other children and 6 educators, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012.
Jimmy said that he wants "the music to reflect the way that Ana lived," so for the first time he decided to weave lyrics and singers into the flow on one of his recordings. "Ana loved to sing and listen to singers, and she had a wonderful singing voice. An album dedicated to her memory needed to have singers and songs that were important to her and me and my family."
In a penetrating, heartbreaking, and graceful interpretation, Kurt performs "Ana's Way," along with the Linden Christian School Early Years Choir, comprised of Ana's & her brother Isaiah's classmates from Winnipeg. It's one of the featured vocal tracks on the album. Greene & pianist Renee Rosnes distill the oceanic emotions of the lyric.
Kurt says, "I was humbled and grateful to be asked to be a part of this important project. I have known Jimmy as a well-respected musician for several years, but his example as a man of faith and personal strength is what takes center stage here. The healing nature of music has only rarely been brought to bear more clearly in a jazz context. I sincerely encourage all my friends and fans to join me in supporting Beautiful Life."
To pre-order, visit Amazon or iTunes. Stay tuned for more information about Beautiful Life in December!
Kurt is also a guest artist on Christmas in New York, Ren�e Fleming's first-ever holiday album! Fleming's guests include jazz masters Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, and Gregory Porter, plus pop & Broadway stars.
Kurt sings Snowbound and the traditional carol Still, Still, Still with Ren�e.
For more about Christmas in New York, including personal comments from Kurt & Ren�e and the full track listing, click here. To order, visit Amazon or iTunes.
And watch for Ren�e Fleming's Christmas special on PBS in December! She's joined by select guests from the album, including Kurt Elling, Kelli O'Hara, Gregory Porter and Rufus Wainwright.
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November - December Gigs
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November 1, 2014
Freedom Songs - SOLD OUT! Kurt Elling with the WDR Big Band
Conducted by Richard DeRosa
Jazzfest Berlin
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Schaperstra�e 24
10719 Berlin
GERMANYThis concert will be broadcast LIVE on WDR 3 Radio from 9:30-10:40 pm CET (UTC+1).
November 6-7, 2014 TWO SHOWS Kurt Elling with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa Conducted by Nabil Shehata Euskalduna Palace Calle Euskalduna, 4 48008 Bilbao SPAINNovember 11, 2014 A Jazz Conversation: Kurt Elling & Guy BarkerCrazy Coqs 20 Sherwood Street London W1F 7ED ENGLANDNovember 14, 2014 Jazz Voice: Celebrating a Century of Song, with Kurt Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Emma Smith, Georgie Fame, Jacob Banks, Sachal, & Vula MalingaOrchestra conducted & with arrangements by Guy Barker EFG London Jazz Festival Barbican Silk Street London EC2Y 8DS ENGLAND This concert will be broadcast LIVE on BBC Radio 3 from 7:30-10:00 pm GMT (UTC).November 15, 2014Kurt Elling and Chloe Charles With Jazz Fan Guest Michael Connarty MP, Parliamentary Jazz Committee Jazz @ MetropolisNovember 20, 2014Kurt Elling Quintet Elling Swings Sinatra Lied Center for Performing Arts University of Nebraska-Lincoln 301 N 12th St Lincoln, NE November 27, 2014 Kurt Elling with the Metropole Orkest Conducted by Jules Buckley Edison Jazz / World Award Gala Muziekgebouw Frits Philips Jan van Lieshoutstraat 3 5600 AX Eindhoven NETHERLANDS December 10, 2014Kurt Elling with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw Conducted by Dennis Mackrel Koninklijk Concertgebouw Concertgebouwplein 10 1071 LN Amsterdam NETHERLANDSDecember 12, 2014 Kurt Elling with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw Conducted by Dennis Mackrel Muziekgebouw Frits Philips Jan van Lieshoutstraat 3 5600 AX Eindhoven NETHERLANDSDecember 13, 2014Kurt Elling with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw Conducted by Dennis Mackrel De Doelen Schouwburgplein 50 3012 CL Rotterdam NETHERLANDS
All of Kurt's gigs through May 2015 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.
Bringing Kurt to a stage near you Kurt is on the road about 180 nights a year. To hear Kurt and the band play in your city, region, or country, please ask your favorite venues or festivals to book them through Kurt's booking agency. Thank you! |
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On November 2nd,
Kurt celebrates his 47th orbit around the sun. His many fans & friends worldwide wish him the jazziest of birthdays & many happy returns!
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Your Moment of Elling . . .
| Kurt Elling - American Tune music & lyrics by Paul SimonPerformed by the KEQ Jazz at Lincoln Center, October 13, 2012 |
__________________
I'm an artist
who's working now,
whose work is contemporary
and futurist in orientation,
but who brings the past along
to inform
what happens.
Our fullness is mirrored
in our art.
Develop yourself
as you would your art.
Be HERE now.
Tragedies can make us stronger
not weaker.
We try to understand
by wedding our intuitive side
to our intellect.
The chief task of the artist
is to create
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