Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman

Performer: Kurt Elling
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Recorded live at Lincoln Center's American Songbook Series, New York, New York. Personnel: Kurt Elling (vocals); Mary Rowell, Cornelius Dufallo (violin); Ralph Farris (viola); Dorothy Lawson (cello); Ernie Watts (saxophone); Laurence Hobgood (piano); Clark Sommers (upright bass); Ulysses Owens (drums). Perhaps taking a page from Karrin Allyson's note-perfect tribute to John Coltrane's BALLADS, the contemporary jazz singer Kurt Elling offers his own live tribute to the classic Impulse LP JOHN COLTRANE & JOHNNY HARTMAN, the tenor icon's 1963 collaboration with the perennially underrated Hartman, an exquisitely mannered singer who brought out the romantic best in both Coltrane and his listeners alike. The burnished-voiced Elling brings his own considerable romantic best to this 2008 Lincoln Center concert (part of the "American Songbook" Series) with fulsome support from pianist Laurence Hobgood, who also did the skillful string quartet arrangements (played by ETHEL), and saxophonist Ernie Watts. Elling in no way channels Hartman; he retains his own contemporary style as he delves into key selections from COLTRANE & HARTMAN like "Lush Life," "They Say It's Wonderful," and, of course, "Dedicated To You," itself a nod to the swooning '40s duet by Coltrane favorite Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughan. Stepping outside his own framework a bit, Elling also includes songs from BALLADS, the beautiful "Say It Over (And Over Again)" and a instrumental setting of "It's Easy To Remember," over which the singer narrates a little "jazz story" of his own devising.

JazzTimes (p.68) - "[O]nly Elling can be credited with the touches of masterful phrasing -- especially on 'Lush Life' and 'My One and Only Love' -- that transform Hartman's black velvet canvas into an expanse of subdued vibrancy." Record Collector (magazine) (p.90) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t features some striking string quartet arrangements..."

Chicago singer Kurt Elling started out singing classical repertoire as a young man, but soon developed an interest in jazz. As a contemporary jazz vocalist, Elling incorporated the "vocalese" style of Jon Hendricks and James Moody, the hipster/beatnik slant of monologist/poets like Lord Buckley, and a progressive, visionary quality all his own. Every one of Elling's first six albums was nominated for a Grammy award, and he has consistently come out on top in jazz magazine polls, yet due to the uncompromising, left-of-center nature of his work, he continues to be a cult hero, existing outside the mainstream.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5