Kurt Elling charts new path with funky, groovy SuperBlue
By Adam Feibel
Kurt Elling
On the heels of winning his second Grammy Award this year, preeminent jazz vocalist Kurt Elling is returning with an album that finds him in new musical territory.
While Elling’s past projects have explored the musical worlds of bebop, traditional pop, progressive jazz and neo-soul,
SuperBlue marks his first foray into full-on funk.
With producer and guitarist Charlie Hunter at the helm, Elling is joined by drummer Corey Fonville and bassist and keyboardist DJ Harrison, both of the genre-hopping band Butcher Brown.
SuperBlue features Elling’s own original songs along with fresh takes on compositions by jazz legends Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard, a stripped-down treatment of Cody Chestnutt and a groovy version of a Tom Waits tune.