Kurt Elling – Dedicated to You

Recorded LIVE in Manhattan as part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, Grammy Award nominee and critically acclaimed vocalist Kurt Elling offers his fans a stunning interpretation of the music of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. DEDICATED TO YOU: KURT ELLING SINGS THE MUSIC OF COLTRANE AND HARTMAN is an awesome re-birth of the 1963 album titled John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. Elling is accompanied by saxophonist Ernie Watts, the Laurence Hobgood Trio and the genre-bending Ethel Sting Quartet.

Avid fans and a new generation of listeners will hear 12-great tracks featuring Elling’s amazing vocals intertwining with newly arranged works brilliantly interpreted by his collaborators. As a balladeer, Elling is highly acclaimed for his special way with lyrics, phrasings and ability to remain true to the essence of past interpretations. He doesn’t disappoint here and delivers one of today’s most important jazz works.

Just one listen to his renditions of “All or Nothing At All” and “Say It (Over and Over Again)” defies any identity politics and wipes the slate clean of any note-for-note comparisons  to the original Coltrane/Hartman project. But merely hearing this CD isn’t enough to grasp the complex beauty and romantic nature of this recording.  The genius of Elling and his collaborators will make you FEEL IT. Ernie Watts’ solo on the opener is but one indication of what you, dear listener, are in for. “What’s New,” “My One and Only Love,” are so compelling and poetic that they leave you completely transformed in the way you listen to these great songs.

Throughout the entire CD, Elling captivates and holds you spellbound with his stunning delivery and emphasis on quality. These sounds of timeless jazz are definitely something you’re unlikely to hear anywhere else in this. It’s altogether sensitive, sympathetic and symbiotic.

Reprinted with permission of…