The Beautiful Day (Kurt Elling Sings Christmas) Kurt Elling

• 1 Sing a Christmas Carol 04:34
• 2 Wenceslaus (Image I) 01:27
• 3 Star of Wonder 02:03
• 4 We Three Kings 06:33
• 5 Christmas Children 04:32
• 6 Wenceslaus (Image II) 00:52
• 7 Some Children See Him 07:13
• 8 Little Drummer Boy 02:46
• 9 Wenceslaus (Image III) 01:28
• 10 The Michigan Farm (Cradle Song, Op. 41/1) 03:03
• 11 The Snow is Deep on the Ground / Snowfall 06:35
• 12 Same Old Lang Syne 06:19
• 13 This Christmas 04:33
• 14 The Beautiful Day 02:28
• Total Runtime 54:26

Info for The Beautiful Day (Kurt Elling Sings Christmas)

GRAMMY winning, world renowned jazz singer, Kurt Elling has just signed a recording contract with OKeh/Sony Music Masterworks. His forthcoming album, 'The Beautiful Day' will be Elling’s first release on OKeh, as well as his first holiday album.

Regarded as one of the world’s foremost jazz vocalists, Elling won the DownBeat Critics Poll for fourteen consecutive years and was named “Male Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association on eight occasions. An international jazz award winner, Elling has also been GRAMMY nominated a dozen times.

Elling’s rich baritone spans four octaves and features both astonishing technical mastery and emotional depth. His repertoire includes original compositions and modern interpretations of standards, all of which are springboards for inspired improvisation, scatting, spoken word, and poetry.

He is regarded by The New York Times as “…the standout male vocalist of our time.” The Washington Post adds, “Since the mid-1990s, no singer in jazz has been as daring, dynamic or interesting as Kurt Elling.”

Of the signing Elling says: “I am very excited about starting a new relationship with OKeh. OKeh A&R head, Wulf Muller reminds me of the late Bruce Lundvall in his enthusiasm for the music and his love for his artists. Wulf has been a friend of mine for years and I know that I will have his full support moving forward - both as an artist and a business partner.”

Kurt Elling, vocals

Kurt Elling
GRAMMY winner Kurt Elling is among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. He won the DownBeat Critics Poll for fourteen consecutive years and was named “Male Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association eight times in that same span. Every one of Elling’s ten albums has been nominated for a GRAMMY.

Elling’s rich baritone spans four octaves and features both astonishing technical mastery and emotional depth. His repertoire includes original compositions and modern interpretations of standards, all of which are springboards for inspired improvisation, scatting, spoken word and poetry.

The New York Timesdeclared, “Elling is the standout male vocalist of our time.” The Washington Post added, “Since the mid-1990s, no singer in jazz has been as daring, dynamic or interesting as Kurt Elling. With his soaring vocal flights, his edgy lyrics and sense of being on a musical mission, he has come to embody the creative spirit in jazz.”

Elling was the Artist-in-Residence for the Singapore and Monterey Jazz Festivals. He has also written multi-disciplinary works for The Steppenwolf Theatre and the City of Chicago. The Obama Administration’s first state dinner featured Elling in a command performance.

Elling is a renowned artist of vocalese – the writing and performing of words over recorded improvised jazz solos. The natural heir to jazz pioneers Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure and Jon Hendricks, Elling has set his own lyrics to the improvised solos of Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny. He often incorporates images and references from writers such as Rilke, Rumi, Neruda and Proust into his work. The late poet and Bollingen Prize winner Robert Creeley wrote, “Kurt Elling takes us into a world of sacred particulars. His words are informed by a powerful poetic spirit.” Said Robert Pinsky, former Poet Laureate of the United States, “In Kurt Elling’s art, the voice of jazz gives a new spiritual presence to the ancient, sweet and powerful bond between poetry and music.”

Kurt Elling has toured vigorously throughout his career, thrilling audiences throughout the world. In that time he has led his own ensemble and has collaborated with many of the world’s finest orchestras.

Passion World, Kurt Elling’s newest recording, culminates nearly five years of collecting and honing songs – and in some cases writing new lyrics – that express love, romance and heartbreak around the world. Throughout his travels, Elling has observed how deeply felt passions are shaped in countless ways by each unique culture. Those insights have guided the creation of Passion World, a tour-de-force project that is vibrant with diversity, celebrating what makes us all human. In concert Elling tells rich stories about the history and context of each of these songs to sweep you away on a grand tour of exotic places, cultures and times. Passion World is a musical magic carpet taking you on a fascinating journey through the realms of romance in a concert not to be missed.

Booklet for The Beautiful Day (Kurt Elling Sings Christmas)