7 Quotes & Sayings By Kurt Elling

Known as the greatest living jazz vocalist, Kurt Elling performs and records widely and is a highly sought-after recording artist and performer. His musical career has encompassed stints with the likes of Art Blakey, Benny Carter, Joe Henderson, Ahmad Jamal, Sarah Vaughan, Maynard Ferguson, Hampton Hawes, the Modern Jazz Quartet, the Count Basie Orchestra, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins Quartet and many others. Elling has received many awards including the President's Award from The National Endowment for the Arts in 1990. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Composition in 1995 Read more

1
It helps me to learn things in different languages, even if it's just phonetically, and to make myself vulnerable to other audiences by trying to reflect back to them the genius of their own cultures, and to do that, oftentimes, in new jazz settings, new arrangements. It's a way to show respect. Kurt Elling
2
People just want to dig; they want to dance. They don't want to work all through the night, and neither do I. I like getting 'out there, ' but communication should be occurring on more levels than heavy-laden philosophical. Kurt Elling
3
I consider myself very fortunate. I have a beautiful wife who supports my work and is raising our daughter when I'm out on the road. Kurt Elling
4
My strength is to communicate with an audience and to know what jazz singing is capable of. Kurt Elling
5
You don't know what bravery is until you overcome fear. Kurt Elling
6
I travel all the time. And as I go around the world, I try to learn a little something and not just take up all the available air. Kurt Elling