Kurt Elling was born on November 2,1967 and is an American jazz singer and songwriter.
27 Facts About Kurt Elling
2.
Kurt Elling encountered jazz while a student at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.
3.
Kurt Elling recorded a demo in the early 1990s and was signed by Blue Note.
4.
Kurt Elling has been nominated for ten Grammy Awards, winning Best Vocal Jazz Album for Dedicated to You and Secrets Are the Best Stories.
5.
Kurt Elling had a longtime collaboration with pianist Laurence Hobgood, leading a quartet that toured throughout the world.
6.
Kurt Elling was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 2,1967, the son of Henry and Martha Elling.
7.
Kurt Elling attended elementary school at St Paul Lutheran School in Rockford, and throughout his early years, he sang in choirs and played violin, French horn, piano, and drums.
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Kurt Elling attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, Minnesota, where he majored in history and minored in religion.
9.
In college, Kurt Elling sang in the 70-voice Gustavus Choir, an a cappella choir that performed works from a variety of different composers, allowing him to hone his technical skills.
10.
Kurt Elling became interested in jazz at Gustavus Adolphus while listening to Dave Brubeck, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, and Ella Fitzgerald.
11.
Kurt Elling thought about continuing work in academia or working for the World Council of Churches when he graduated.
12.
Kurt Elling began playing jazz gigs once a week during graduate school, with one of his first shows at Milt Trenier's, a basement club in Chicago.
13.
Kurt Elling earned little money at these gigs, but Karl Johnson, the house pianist, was his mentor and teacher.
14.
In Chicago, Kurt Elling worked as a bartender and as a mover.
15.
Kurt Elling began listening to the vocalese of jazz singer Mark Murphy, who exposed him to the poetry of Jack Kerouac.
16.
Kurt Elling had met pianist Laurence Hobgood through Ed Petersen, who played the Green Mill on Monday nights.
17.
Kurt Elling convinced Hobgood that he was ready to go into the studio, and they came out with nine solid songs.
18.
In 1995, Kurt Elling signed with Blue Note, and the songs on the demo became the Grammy nominated label debut, Close Your Eyes.
19.
In 2006, Kurt Elling performed on the television program Legends of Jazz, in the episode "The Jazz Singers".
20.
Kurt Elling sang "She's Funny That Way" and performed a duet with Al Jarreau on "Take Five".
21.
The follow-up, Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman, is a tribute to the 1963 recording John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, widely recognized as one of the all-time finest jazz vocal albums.
22.
Kurt Elling is a baritone with a four-octave range, and a writer and performer of vocalese, writing and performing words over improvised jazz solos.
23.
In 1999, Kurt Elling became a National Trustee for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and in 2003 he was elected vice-chair and served two terms.
24.
Kurt Elling has performed and recorded with David Amram, Randy Bachman, Bob Belden, Joanne Brackeen, Oscar Brown Jr.
25.
Until November 2013, Kurt Elling's band included musical director Laurence Hobgood on piano, John McLean on guitar, Clark Sommers on bass, and drummer Kendrick Scott.
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Kurt Elling toured with the band and performed on the album Upward Spiral, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.
27.
Kurt Elling has received the Jazz Journalists Association Male Singer of the Year award eight times.