Kurt Elling

Kurt Elling: A Renowned Jazz Vocalist

Kurt Elling is a two-time GRAMMY Award winner who is renowned for a signature, rich sound and an inventive and individualized body of work. With a one-of-a-kind brand of contemporary beat lyricism and vocalese-writing ingenuity, the Chicago-based musician has extended the parameters of vocal jazz and enlarged its vocabulary. The New York Times called Kurt Elling the standout male jazz vocalist of our time. The Guardian (UK) pronounced him a kind of Sinatra with superpowers.

A Distinguished Career

Over a twenty-five year career of touring and recording, Elling has won three Prix du Jazz Vocal (France), two German Echo Awards, two Dutch Edison Awards, and has been nominated for a GRAMMY Award sixteen times. He has had a 14-year run atop the DownBeat Critics and Readers polls, and has won twelve Jazz Journalists Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year.

Collaborations and Performances

Elling's work with other leading figures in the jazz world has included important collaborations with Branford Marsalis, Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter, and Stefon Harris. He has also performed as a featured soloist with many of the world's leading large ensembles, including:

• NY Philharmonic
• The BBC Concert Symphony
• The Count Basie Orchestra
• The WDR Big Band and Orchestra
• The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra
• The Village Vanguard Orchestra

Innovative Projects

In addition to his work as a lyricist and composer for his own ensembles, Kurt Elling has co-created multi-disciplinary performances for Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater and The City of Chicago. Jazz At Lincoln Center saw the world premiere of The Big Blind, an entirely new jazz musical Elling is co-writing with collaborator Phil Galdston (Save The Best For Last). National Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky declared that, "In Kurt Elling's art, the voice of jazz gives new spiritual presence to the ancient, sweet and powerful bond between poetry and music."

Global Tours and Recognition

Elling has toured the world in a variety of contexts, including UNESCO-sponsored International Jazz Day performances in Havana, Cuba; in St. Petersburg, Russia; in Melbourne, Australia; and in Washington DC. He has twice performed at the White House, including a performance in collaboration with the late Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra for President Obama's first State Dinner.

Leadership in the Music Industry

He has served as Artist-In-Residence at the Monterey and Singapore Jazz Festivals. As a music industry leader, Elling spent six years serving as a Trustee and two years as Vice Chairman of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.