Kurt Elling

In the three previous times I’ve heard Mr Elling at Scullers, he performed first with a trio in 2003, and subsequent to that with a trio, guitar and sax. This would mark the second time I heard Mr. Perez at your venue, the first was with guitarist Mike Stern many years ago. Last night, the musicians opened with a half hour of exchanges, marked by scat and vocalise from Mr. Elling. Given the softer dynamic sound range of this performance, it was marred by the loud sound of the cash register at the bar (I was sitting equidistant between stage and bar; there has to be a remedy for that, given present technology!). The bartender(s?) were indifferent to the volume of noise they were creating with ice and glasses; maybe the bartender was the unannounced percussionist, though not quite up to the standards of the people on stage! In former times, such a miscreant would have received at least a reprimand, at worst a punch, from someone such as Charles Mingus, who was rightly offended by extraneous noise in club settings. Also, the staff made astoundingly frequent exits and entrances to and from the lobby (what on earth for, as by this time, all the music patrons were in the club). I know for a fact there is quieter door hardware on the market! The intruding light and noise were an jarring distraction; are people in the lobby actually ordering drinks from the club’s bar? Finally, there were 2 people several tables away who were thoroughly ignorant of listening etiquette, and thought nothing of conversing loudly during the performance. Fellow patrons and staff eventually remedied the situation, but not until more than halfway through the set. Perhaps management should give a reminder before each set regarding not just cellphones, but also limiting conversation to an infrequent whisper, and then demonstrating for the audience, in pointed humor, what a mouse whisper sounds like! All in all, my most disappointing trip to Scullers ever, even though the performance, or what I could hear and see of it, was quite good. Please take some steps to address these problems of disruptive noise. It is not good for the aesthetic and reputation of your club.

I made sure to purchase front row seats so that I could watch the interactions between the musicians on stage. Kurt Elling arrived and bowed graciously to the audience. He began with the first song from his new CD: The Questions. So powerful. Mr. Elling was in rare form, dancing and laughing; his stage patter giving us a clue what it is like to be him. Thank you for singing, "The Waking." It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear him sing it. The audience was polite in their appreciation, but I like to participate when I attend a concert. So when Mr. Elling told an anecdote about doing magic in Singapore because the audience there seemed mystified by his performance, I told him he could cut me in half. Aghast, he mentioned that it could be a messy act and seemed a little taken aback by my offer. I countered his protest by saying, "But it would be MAGIC!" I truly enjoyed our little back and forth before he demonstrated his magical voice. The night was magical and I did not even have to be sawed in half. I was thoroughly delighted with the performance and the venue. My husband and I enjoyed the long weekend in Pittsburgh, a city I had never really visited before. Thank you, Kurt Elling, for your part in our small adventure. We both had a fine, fine evening.

Kurt Elling is a very respected jazz vocalist from the states. He is such a crooner, and delivers such an impressive set this evening, in the form of some of his fantastic arrangements of some of the biggest standards to date, including a stunning version of “Come Fly With Me”, which opens the set in style. From the moment he walks out on stage, he is smiling to the audience, developing such a fantastic rapport with everyone involved. “I Like the Sunrise” is a mid set highlight with each member of the band taking a good sixteen bars to show off some of their best chops. My personal highlight of this set is when he performs the song “House Is Not A Home”, which simply makes the audience listen so tentatively, in appreciation of this jazz great. As a musician, and having majored in jazz piano in my first year of university, I can appreciate the complexities that the band go through literally from the start to the finish of each song, busting out some of the most amazing jazz voicings in each song. It is stunning to watch Kurt Elling do what he does best.

It's a wonderful surprise to attend a concert where the singer's voice is as smooth and powerful live as on their recordings. This was certainly the case with Kurt Elling's concert May 18, 2019 at Bailey Hall at Broward College. Elling's musicians were spotlighted so as to display their intense command of the music. It was a joy to watch these five musicians unit to produce an unforgettable concert. For the encore, which the audience insisted on, Elling came back on stage and sang a musical homage to Jon Hendricks a capella and without a microphone. Simply stunning. I've never heard a singer with the confidence and ability display such a feat. It was a splendid ending to a magical concert. Hopefully he'll return next year so I can watch and listen, again, to music at its best.

Rochelle Santopoalo
May 19, 2019

I’ve never been to KE show, brought a friend who is not familiar with his music. Disappointed he did not sing any of the songs I’ve listened to on Spotify for years, Practical arrangement was one I was looking forward to but it wasn’t performed. Wouldn’t go to another of his gigs in the future. He sounds good though, but, his songs are difficult and would have been nice to have a favorite thrown in between all these unknown pieces.

The Quasimodo is quiet a great place... Without lots of good spots to enjoy the concerts. Too bad.
Kurt Elling was in great shape, entertaining and reaching higher sophistication at the same time. One of the best show I've seen for a while.