Articles

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

ALBUM REVIEW March 20, 2018

Kurt Elling: The Questions

Read "The Questions" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

How does one grapple with existence and its juxtaposition against the present state of affairs? That's the question that hangs heaviest over The Questions. While vocalist Kurt Elling didn't come into this production with a theme in mind, he discovered a through line in the act of wrestling with difficulties and dreams in this age of marked unreason and unrest. With these ten songs he explores that topic to the fullest, coloring the music with his signature blend of authority ...

BAILEY'S BUNDLES March 8, 2018

Seven woMEN 2018 – Part III

By C. Michael Bailey

Look what creeped into my monthly column... and herein exist end-of-the-year-recordings...(you decide which ones). Ben Paterson That Old Feeling Cellar Live Records 2018 Everything about pianist/vocalist Ben Paterson's Cellar Live release, That Old Feeling is delightful. This recording is a beautiful throwback, with just a touch of sepia: not enough to induce pedestrian nostalgia, but plenty to remind us of the considerable charms of straight-ahead jazz well performed. Paterson claims the ...

BAILEY'S BUNDLES January 24, 2017

Male Vocals – Mark Murphy, Theo Bleckmann, Gregory Porter, Jimmy Scott, Kurt Elling, Ron Boustead

By C. Michael Bailey

What passes for male jazz vocals makes an interesting dichotomy with female jazz vocals. Judging by the number of female jazz vocal releases that come my way, I almost believe that every woman fancies that she can make a jazz recording. Interestingly, there are many good to great ones. Not so with men. I probably see only a fifth to a quarter the number of male vocal releases when compared to the female. Nothing scientific, and certainly anecdotal. And also, ...

ALBUM REVIEW December 6, 2016

Kurt Elling: The Beautiful Day

By Dan Bilawsky

Forget the standard old tidings of good cheer, the same old set of swinging Christmas standards, and the sugary holiday treats that lack vitality and real sustenance. Kurt Elling certainly paid little mind to them when he was putting together this gem of a program. Instead of taking the road more traveled when it comes to holiday trips, Elling takes back roads and detours. And as with most of his projects, that makes all the difference. For his ...

BAILEY'S BUNDLES December 4, 2016

Christmas 2016 II: Contemporary

By C. Michael Bailey

Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling says of the holidays, “In the Western world, whether you're Christian or not, Christmas has some kind of seasonal relevance to you...You really cannot escape the holiday--even if it is just coming at you on television...for me, the holiday comes enriched with a lot of beautiful personal memories. It also comes freighted with the knowledge that millions of other people would carry their own such memories; and not all those memories are of happy occasions."

LIVE REVIEW August 2, 2016

Kurt Elling With The Keith Ganz Trio at Jazz Standard

By Dan Bilawsky

Kurt Elling With The Keith Ganz Trio Jazz Standard New York, NY July 31, 2016 If there's any genre of music that's truly built on the idea of spur-of-the-moment change, it's jazz. And so, in that very spirit, we had this performance. The audience that came down to hear the inimitable Kate McGarry on this cool and humid summer night was swiftly reminded of the fact that things don't always work out as ...

LIVE REVIEW March 7, 2016

Kurt Elling at Bing Concert Hall

By Lily O'Brien

Kurt Elling Stanford Jazz / Bing Concert Hall Palo Alto, CA February 27, 2016 Kurt Elling is full of it--talent that is. As a vocalist, performer and writer/poet, he is just, simply--off the charts. His performance for Stanford Live at Bing Concert Hall, at Stanford University in Palo Alto on Saturday, February 27 made it clear that he is a major talent in the world of jazz today, though, surprisingly, outside of the jazz world, ...