THE GIG

What Else Can I Do

New Music, April 17

Kat Edmonson, "Way Down Low"

Saddle Up My Pony

Brian Harkin for The New York Times

Cassandra Wilson

Rose Theater, Sept. 30

Be Good

Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

Gregory Porter

Smoke, June 2

Once was Lost

Hank Parker/Sony Archives

Playlist, April 3

Aretha Franklin, Gretchen Parlato, Holy Ghost!, Peter Evans Quintet, Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya

Kurt Elling on Youth, Critics

This month’s cover story for JazzTimes, re: singer Kurt Elling, has been excerpted online. There’s way more insight behind the paywall, so if you like what you see, please go buy a copy, or swipe one from your neighbor. Meanwhile, I thought I’d expand on just one (major) aspect of the piece here, having to do with his thoughts on artistic maturity and its antipode, callow youth. 

Elling is nothing if not a self-reflective artist, and soon after we sat down he was musing on his stature vis-à-vis jazz’s critical establishment. The tide had been turning for him in that regard, especially since the generally acknowledged triumph of his Coltrane-Hartman album, Dedicated to You, in 2009. But what Elling seemed eager to talk about were his detractors, some of whom he felt had formed their opinions early on.* Here is some of what he said:

So They Say

McCoy Tyner Trio with José James

Blue Note, Feb. 15

Who is Esperanza Spalding?

Esperanza Spalding, a Surprise Winner at the Grammys

(a.k.a., My part in the post-award prognostication cycle)

 

Tale of Two Rebeccas

Rebecca Martin, Becca Stevens

Cornelia Street Café, Jan. 27

What is Jazz Singing, Anyway?

Photo by Ronnie James

The new column is up at JazzTimes. Not much more to add to it here, except a handful of links that might help illuminate my point(s):

• Monk Competition UStream footage; McLorin-Salvant at 38:00.
• José James in-studio performance of “Lush Life”
• Theo Bleckmann: review and audio of a recent concert

Oh, and it has come to my attention that some readers are missing the allusion to Justice Potter Stewart, which prompted my favorite offhanded line in the piece. If that means you, lookee here.

If It’s Magic

Critics’ Choice: New CDs

Cassandra Wilson, “Silver Pony”