Home » Jazz Articles » Kurt Elling
Jazz Articles about Kurt Elling
Deborah Silver: Deborah Silver with the Count Basie Orchestra: Basie Rocks!
by Kyle Simpler
Jazz musicians frequently cover popular songs, but few do it quite like vocalist Deborah Silver. With Basie Rocks!, Silver teams up with the iconic Count Basie Orchestra for a genre-crossing collection that you truly have to hear to believe. This is a groove-charged big band album that reimagines classic rock and pop classics through the swinging lens of traditional jazz. While that premise might sound gimmicky on paper, the result is total sonic satisfaction. Produced by ...
Continue ReadingKurt Elling and Peter Erskine at the Michigan Theater
by C. Andrew Hovan
Kurt Elling Celebrates Weather Report featuring Peter Erskine Michigan Theater 49th Performance of the 146th UMS Season Ann Arbor, Michigan April 11, 2025 With two Grammy Awards to his name and a long list of press accolades--including holding the top spot in the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls for over a decade--vocalist Kurt Elling could easily rest on his laurels. But instead, he continues to push creative boundaries, embarking on projects that many would ...
Continue ReadingAda Rovatti: The Hidden World Of Piloo
by Katchie Cartwright
Ada Rovatti's curiously titled album, The Hidden World of Piloo, has a tale attached (and a tail). Piloo is an affectionate name Rovatti's father has called her since childhood, after a “naughty" cat in a favorite children's book. She adopted it for her label as well (Piloo Records). Rovatti grew up in Mortara, Italy, outside of Milan, in an unusual household. Her mother was a semi-pro softball player and her dad a geologist, professional hunter and purveyor of cars. The ...
Continue ReadingElling, McLorin Salvant and Fortner: A Wish (Valentine)
by Katchie Cartwright
Clarence Penn: Behind the Voice
by Dan Bilawsky
Drummer Clarence Penn, a serious force on the scene for more than three decades, has worked with a who's who of vocalists--Betty Carter, Kandace Springs, Luciana Souza, Kate McGarry, Nellie McKay, Claudia Acuña, Paula Cole, Melissa Walker and Nneena Freelon, to name just a few. He knows more than a thing or two about history and creativity behind the voice, and he's here to show it with this sharply-constructed date. Working with a stacked lineup of singers and instrumentalists, and ...
Continue ReadingKurt Elling and the National Jazz Orchestra at the MNT Theatre
by Nenad Georgievski
Kurt Elling & National Jazz Orchestra MNT Theatre Skopje, Macedonia May 15, 2024 Kurt Elling and the National Jazz Orchestra graced the stage of the MNT Theatre in Skopje, Macedonia, delivering an extraordinary performance. This marked their second collaboration after their unforgettable encounter at Lisinski Hall in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2021, where they left audiences awe-inspired. However, the intimacy of the venue in Skopje added a new layer of intensity to the performance.
Continue ReadingKurt Elling & Danilo Pérez at Jazz, TX
by Katchie Cartwright
Kurt Elling & Danilo Pérez Jazz, TX San Antonio, Texas May 9, 2024 Kurt Elling's presence has a density that generates its own gravitational pull. He plants himself solidly in the moment onstage and draws the audience in. Danilo Pérez is similarly brilliant and focused. He shares Elling's dedication to the impromptu and both are ardent storytellers. They complement one another in a duo setting, each bringing an array of abilities and sensibilities. That evening, ...
Continue Reading
