What's so good about Kurt Elling?

I'm trying to remember when I first heard Kurt Elling. I'm pretty sure it was while driving, on my way to teach a trumpet lesson many years ago, on CJRT, on Ted O'Reilly's show. I think Ted played Kurt's version of "My Foolish Heart" from Live in Chicago. After singing through the melody, and after Laurence Hobgood has played a gorgeous piano solo, the band suddenly drops into a very quiet vamp as Kurt works his magic, singing original lyrics and building the tension. He finally works his way back to the original tune, and then the band together does one of the most exciting builds I've ever heard before finishing the tune in fine fashion. (If you've heard this recording, I hope you know what I mean!) And from that moment I was hooked.

To me, Kurt Elling is what a jazz vocalist should be. He sings beautifully (he has an enormous range and makes full use of his falsetto), writes amazing lyrics, and IMPROVISES. I know scat (the jazz kind) is a bit of a sensitive topic - some love it, some hate it - but I grew up on Ella Fitzgerald, and I sometimes say that she ruined jazz vocalists for me: after listening to Ella, how could I not expect that every jazz vocalist would have such a command of the melody, such an understanding of the lyrics, and such a fluency when improvising? Kurt Elling has all of those things, and that's way he's been a hands-down favourite in my books since I first heard him. (And, with nine Grammy nominations, one Grammy Award, ten consecutive years at the top of the DownBeat Critics poll, five years at the top of the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll, six Jazz Journalists Association Awards for Male Singer of the Year and the Prix Billie Holiday from the Académie du Jazz in Paris, I'm not the only one!)

But fear not - if you're not a fan of scat singing, there's more to Kurt Elling than just improvising. Need proof? Check out Kurt's version of "Esperanto" by Vince Mendoza. See? No scatting...But I think this tune aptly demonstrates Kurt's abilities as a vocalist: he handles a complicated melody line with ease, and has written beautiful lyrics.

Of course if, like me, you like your vocalists to have some skwee-bop, here's Kurt's version of "Tight" by Betty Carter (another of my favourite vocalists). Not only does he show off his ability as an improvisor, but he also demonstrates his comfort as a performer, truly owning the stage:

For his 2011 TD Toronto Jazz Festival performance, Kurt Elling will be performing music from his recently released album The Gate. Here's a quick "behind-the-scenes" look at The Gate:

Josh

P.S. - I couldn't resist. Here's Kurt singing "My Foolish Heart" at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2007. It's worth watching the whole video. And check out what he does starting at about 7:00...