Description

I bought this album on impulse, since I was totally unfamiliar with Kurt Elling, out of a desire to discover an interesting voice in contemporary vocal jazz. My first sampling of the CD left little impression as I skipped fleetingly between tracks - it was only when I listened to it all the way through that the quality of the performances came through.
Elling is in possession of a powerful yet finely controlled voice, capable of sounding a variety of timbres to suit any given arrangement. His choice of material on this album allows a good expression of this versatility, ranging as it does betweenmore… classic ballads such as Prelude To A Kiss and the wildly original take on Jimmy Heath's Gingerbread Boy. Indeed the scat and other vocal effects employed by Elling on selections like this are at first a little terrifying, but provide a compelling insight into the strength of his abilities.
The whole set is considerably enhanced by the contributions of the supporting band, in particular pianist Laurence Hopgood. His impeccable playing on The Beauty of All Things, an original by Elling and himself, turns it into a beautiful offering; equally impressive is the rhythmically propulsive piano texture of Tanya Jean, the centrepiece of the set.
This is far from Easy Listening, and though some tunes, such as April In Paris, are given a relatively straightahead treatment, the majority of the music is fresh and innovative. For those interested in high quality jazz singing from the last decade, this is a shrewd purchase.

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

Kurt Elling - The Messenger (2001) Retail CD

Part:

Back

Dimensions:

4269 x 3335 px

Size:

3,451 KB

Downloads:

75 (0 today)

Uploaded:

Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

24/11/08 by ssvril

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