Album Review: Kurt Elling "Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman" (Concord)

In 2006, Kurt Ellling, who has blossomed into the most striking male vocalist in jazz, created a concert tribute to the one album made by tenor sax legend John Coltrane, his landmark quartet of the early 1960s and the obscure, baritone singer Johnny Hartman. Lovingly revisited with inspired performances, Elling and sax man Ernie Watts resist treating the original as gospel, choosing instead to attack the material much as the leaders did in the studio in March 1963--one resonant take per tune. ...

Read full article Share article