For the New York Times, Kurt Elling is »the standout male jazz vocalist of our time«. The Chicago native has been captivating the jazz word for 25 years with his unmistakable warm baritone. He combines superior technique with emotional depth, enriching his wide-ranging repertoire with scat singing, improvisation and poetry. His keen interest in literature is another of Kurt Elling’s artistic trademarks: his sophisticated lyrics, backed by jazz improvisations, draw inspiration from writers and poets such as Rilke, Rumi, Neruda and Proust.

His touring and recording career has won him three Prix du Jazz Vocal, two Echo Awards and two Edison Awards, and he has been nominated for a Grammy 17 times, winning two. He has topped the »DownBeat« Critics and Readers polls for many years, and has won twelve Jazz Journalists Awards for »Male Vocalist of the Year«.

Elling’s work with other leading figures in the jazz world has included collaborations with Branford Marsalis, Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter and Stefon Harris. He has also performed as a featured soloist with many of the world’s leading ensembles, including the NY Philharmonic, The BBC Concert Symphony, The Count Basie Orchestra, The WDR Big Band and Orchestra, The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, and The Village Vanguard Orchestra.

Elling has toured the world in a variety of contexts, including UNESCO-sponsored »International Jazz Day« performances in Havana, in St. Petersburg, Melbourne and Washington DC. He has twice performed at the White House, including a performance in collaboration with the late Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra for President Obama’s first State Dinner. He has served as Artist-In Residence at the Monterey and Singapore Jazz Festivals. As a music industry leader, Elling spent six years serving as a Trustee and two years as Vice Chairman of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

US National Poet Laureate and poetic adviser to the Library of Congress Robert Pinsky declared that, »In Kurt Elling’s art, the voice of jazz gives new spiritual presence to the ancient, sweet and powerful bond between poetry and music«.