Kurt Elling
Nightmoves

Kurt Elling, for those unfamiliar with him, is one of the best jazz singers around; a crooner who, in all his works—now eight in total—has consistently demonstrated, in addition to uncommon vocal talents, a sensitivity and a culture, not only musical, of the highest level. Furthermore, one must add a versatility, from Sinatra-style to pure vocalese, that makes him one of the most complete interpreters in the current musical scene, not just in jazz.

His latest album, titled "Nightmoves," the first released for Concord Jazz after a long partnership with the renowned Blue Note, confirms all these qualities; indeed, it enhances them, thanks also to the excellent choice of the eleven tracks. In the album, the artist's versatility finds space and a way to express itself at its best, with the usual, uncommon attention in creating his repertoire. Despite his voice being capable of even bringing life to a famous phone book, he has always been distinguished by a careful and never banal choice of pieces to interpret, especially in his not rare forays into pop and light music.

The very title track, placed at the opening of the album, confirms his care in fishing outside the seas of jazz. "Nightmoves," in fact, is a song by the fine and not very popular songwriter, at least in our parts, Michael Franks, taken from one of his best works dated 1976, "Art of Tea." Surely, Kurt did not have to "sail" much to bring it to light, since Franks has always followed a border route and has never hidden his jazz background. However, the idea of refurbishing the repertoire of the Californian songwriter is a truly happy one, bringing new luster to an already remarkable piece that perhaps had not been properly valued by the subtle and particular voice of the otherwise talented Franks. The same could be said for the other cover, "Undun", borrowed from the songbook of a Canadian rock band that had its peak period between the late '60s and early '70s, The Guess Who; although the distance from the original is greater, the added value that Kurt manages to imbue the song with appears even more evident. The Berlin-Jobim medley, "Change Partners / If You Never Come To Me," which Kurt "stitches" in his own way, shines with its own light. There are also evergreens like "Tight" by Betty Carter and "I Like The Sunrise" by Duke Ellington, with which he confirms his skill even with the canonical evergreens.

Duly assisted by a handful of excellent session men, among whom the faithful Laurence Hobgood on piano stands out, Elling has managed with this album to dispel the doubts of those who had looked somewhat skeptically at his divorce from mother-Blue Note. Everything runs smoothly, with measure, without overdoing virtuosity; and even the original tracks, like "And We Will Fly", among the authors of which he appears alongside the fine pianist Alan Pasqua, work wonderfully. An album recommended not only to jazz enthusiasts but to all those who understand music without rigid boundaries, and also to those who rightly consider the voice as the best instrument: in this case, serving a soul of rare sensitivity.