Matt
"Hello is that Kurt Elling","yes","Well this is Bruce Lundvall from Blue Note Records! I have your tape playing right now in my car.I got it from Bill Traut (manager).Listen its playing right now! He holds the phone out for Kurt to hear to which Kurt replies "Cool" Bruce replies"You're Darn right it's cool" and Kurt Elling was signed to Blue Note records where he commenced work on his debut "Close Your Eyes" (Excerpt of phone conversation taken from Kurt Ellings writing on kurtelling.com).
Kurt Elling meet up with Laurence Hopgood in Chicago in 1995 and a musical partnership was created that still exists to today as when one listens to anything that Kurt does Laurence Hobgood the pianist is an integral part in the creation of Kurt Ellings own distinct approach to Jazz Vocals.Contained within this album you will hear scat,beat poetry, beautiful straight vocals and any other gymnastics that can be done with jazz vocal. Not only that Laurence Hobgood is one superb pianist with a beautiful touch. Paul Wertico is the drummer and there is a mix of various muscians contributing here and there on the album.
The album gets underway with "Close Your Eyes" (1933 was the original),not a Kurt composition but one given his touch. "Laurence Hobgood" provides a great solo as the bassist does "Eric Hochberg".The tune keeps the original structure but stretched out with the solos and then Kurt returns with his Scat to finish off which returns with the lyrics. Track 2 is the "Wayne Shorter" composition given the Elling treatment and a delight it is with the scat sung by Kurt. Next up is "The Ballad of The Sad Young Men which could really be described as a Standard and of course sung superbly.Track 5 "Married Blues starts with beat poetry and sprinklings of percussion,bass and piano notes but does not quite gel for me as the next "Storyteller experiencing total Confusion".Track 7 "Never Can Say Goodbye a Kurt Elling and Laurence Hobgood composition is by far my favourite within the album and was actually used on a sampler Blue Note released many moons back.We also get a "Rodgers and Hart","Wait Till You See Her". Thirteen tracks in all and this reviewer is lucky enough to be lookin' at Kurt's autograph on the cover when I grabbed him back in October 1998.He did ask about his current new one at the time but my reply was "but this ones great". He signed and we had a chat.
One has to remember that this a debut and reading off Kurt's own notes he says himself that he feels he could have done better. I know one thing myself although not perfect this is one outstanding effort for a debut and an album I will treasure and yes I would still ask for Kurt's signature on the cover of this one. Nothing to be dissapointed with here.