Kurt Elling - Passion World (2015) [Official Digital Download 24-bit/96kHz]

"Passion World" is the fifth Concord album (and eleventh overall) from vocalist Kurt Elling, living up to its title on both counts. It is indeed his most "worldly" album to date, as Elling casts his net far and wide, from Brazil to Ireland, Germany to France, Scotland to Cuba to Iceland. Guests include the brilliant veteran trumpeter Cuban émigré Arturo Sandoval; the widely lauded young vocalist Sara Gazarek; German trumpet star Till Brönner; French accordion virtuoso Richard Galliano; the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the world-renowned WDR Big Band and Orchestra from Germany.

Both a virtuoso and a journeyman, a traditionalist and a chance taker, singer Kurt Elling has built a career upon defying expectations while also celebrating the standards of the vocal jazz tradition. An adept vocalist with an eloquent set of skills that find him moving easily between literate, kinetic vocalese, swinging standards, and lyrical balladry, Elling draws you deep into each song. With his 11th studio album and fifth for Concord, 2015's Passion World, Elling maximizes this eclectic dynamism with a well-curated series of songs that find him exploring compositions and styles from around the globe. The album finds him working with producers Chris Dunn and Bryan Farina as well as longtime collaborators keyboardist Gary Versace, guitarist John McLean, bassist Clark Sommers, and drummer Kendrick Scott. This touring ensemble has backed Elling worldwide, and clearly shares his enthusiasm for interpreting such stylistically disparate material. Also adding to the album's cornucopia of sounds is a handful of like-minded guests including trumpeter Arturo Sandoval on the elegiac Cuban ballad "Bonita Cuba" and tenor saxophonist Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra on the lyrical traditional Celtic number "Loch Tay Boat Song." Similarly, German trumpeter Till Brönner adds his soft, melodic trumpet to Richard Galliano's "Billie," reworked here as "The Tangled Road," and featuring lyrics by Elling. Also engaging is Elling's duet with vocalist Sara Gazarek on Brazilian singer/songwriter Dorival Caymmi's buoyant 1944 bossa nova classic "Você Já Foi à Bahia?" And it's not just his jazz chops on display here. Elling delivers an impeccable orchestral-backed rendition of Johannes Brahms' elegiac "Nicht Wandle, Mein Licht (Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52, No. 17)," and even reworks U2's anthemic "Where the Streets Have No Name" with an uplifting folk and soul-jazz vibe. Ultimately, that all of Passion World works so beautifully, with each song flowing into the next, is yet another reason why Elling remains one of the premier jazz vocalists in the world.

Tracklist:

01 - The Verse
02 - After The Door
03 - Loch Tay Boat Song
04 - Si Te Contara
05 - La Vie En Rose
06 - Bonita Cuba
07 - Where The Streets Have No Name
08 - The Tangled Road
09 - Você Já Foi à Bahia?
10 - Nicht Wandle, Mein Licht (Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52, No. 17)
11 - Who Is It (Carry My Joy On The Left, Carry My Pain On The Right)
12 - Where Love Is

Produced by Kurt Elling. Co-Produced by Chris Dunn and Bryan Farina.
Recorded by Chris Allen and Ted Tuthill at Sear Sound, New York, NY December 2-3, 2014.
Additional Recording and Mixed by Seth Presant at The Village Studios, Los Angeles, CA.

Musicians:
Kurt Elling - vocals
John McLean - acoustic and electric guitars
Gary Versace - piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3, accordion
Clark Sommers - bass
Kendrick Scott - drums, voice (4)

Special Guests:
Till Brönner - trumpet (8)
Frank Chastenier - piano (10)


Thanks to the Original customer!