Kurt Elling in studio, recording a new album!

Fresh off his GRAMMY win - for "Dedicated to You" - at the end of January, Kurt Elling (also voted Best Male Singer of 2009 in the 74th DownBeat Readers Poll as well as in the 31st Annual Jazz Station Poll) immediately went on the road on the East Coast with the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars on tour.
He was joined by: nine-time Grammy-nominated and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano, Grammy-nominated violinist Regina Carter, Grammy-winning guitarist Russell Malone (who toured with the CTI All Stars in Europe last Summer), bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Grammy-nominated drummer Johnathan Blake. These were really magical evenings -- must-go/must-hear shows.

The MJF All-Stars will tour again the last two weeks in April, primarily on the West Coast. See the MJF All-Stars page for dates, locations, and ticket information.
And in case you missed the video of Kurt singing "When I Grow Too Old To Dream" with the All-Stars, check it out. It's lovely.

This month, Kurt, his longtime pianist & musical director Laurence Hobgood, and special guests go into the studio to record their next CD for Concord/Universal, scheduled for release in late summer of 2010. They are joined by John Patitucci on bass, Terreon "Tank" Gulley on drums, and John McLean on guitar.Expect surprises ~ something completely different than Dedicated To You. More of their usually unusual fare, this time with things by Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, Earth Wind and Fire, and Stevie Wonder. A guitar thing with a backbeat ~ but jazz guitar and a jazz backbeat!