I haven’t seen the new issue of JazzTimes in print, but I noticed that this month’s column, on Kurt Elling, has been posted online -- to a small burst of lively conversation. (The first in a volley of comments came from someone apparently concerned about my sinuses. I appreciate that, having just flown 6,000 miles. More on that in a sec.)
My subject, suavely pictured above, was chosen to align with the magazine’s vocal issue, which features an even more suave (suaver?) Harry Connick, Jr. on the cover. And while I hope the column is worth reading in full, my basic point splatters right there on the floor: “Kurt Elling is the most influential jazz vocalist of our time.”
Inelegant but efficient, right? I thought so, but it now appears that certain readers have confused Most Influential with Absolute Best or some such. So for the record: I’m talking here about Elling’s impact on the field of jazz singing, especially with regard to its next wave. I tested my theory on a few people close to that scene, two of which are quoted in the piece. They needed no prodding. This wasn’t really a stretch.
I can sympathize with the haters, though, to some small degree. There’s something inherently polarizing about Elling, whose style and approach both come on strong. And given that he has gone from underdog to insider within the last decade, it’s no surprise that some devotees of jazz singing would find room for complaints. I aired a few of my own in 2007, in this painfully ambivalent preview blurb.
I’ll now cede the floor to the comment brigade, here and online at JazzTimes. But first, one last recommendation: this interview at Jazz.com, conducted by the ever-thorough Ted Panken. Worth reading regardless of where your sentiments lie, for affirmation or ammunition.
Recent Comments