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 On Nightmoves, his brilliant debut for Concord Records and seventh outing overall, Elling artfully blends his rich baritone voice with signature scatting and virtuosic vocalese in a wide-ranging repertoire of tunes associated with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Irving Berlin, Betty Carter, Duke Ellington, Dexter Gordon and Keith Jarrett. His most ambitious undertaking to date, it features his working trio of bassist Rob Amster, drummer Willie Jones III and longtime creative partner, pianist-arranger Laurence Hobgood, along with such special guests as The Escher String Quartet, bassist Christian McBride, Yellowjackets tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer, guitarist Guilherme Monterio, keyboardist Rob Mounsey and harmonica virtuosos Howard Levy and Gregoire Maret. Elling and company skillfully shift the mood throughout the program from seductive bossa novas (Michael Franks' "Nightmoves" and Alan Pasqua's "And We Will Fly") to unabashed swingers (Betty Carter's "Tight"), from gorgeous ballads ("Where Are You?") to highly personal takes on Sinatra ("In The Wee Small Hour") and Ellingtonia ("I Like The Sunrise") to a stirring vocalese interpretation of the jazz classic "Body And Soul" with new lyrics written by Kurt for this session. Considered one of the foremost contemporary voices in the art of vocalese -- the act of putting words to improvised solos of jazz artists -- Elling has set words to solos by Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, Dexter Gordon and Pat Metheny; often incorporating images and references from writers such as Rainer Maria Rilke, Jalal al-Din Rumi, Pablo Neruda and Beat poets Jack Kerouac and Kenneth Rexroth into his work. On Nightmoves, Elling once again relies on literary references for for a couple of tunes. "The Sleepers" is a musical setting written by pianist-arranger Fred Hersch for a Walt Whitman poem while “The Waking" is an intimate bass-voice duet set to a 1953 poem by Theodore Roethke. Elsewhere on Nightmoves, Elling puts his distinctive stamp on a soulful version of The Guess Who's 1969 pop hit "Undun" while also tackling Betty Carter's "Tight" with requisite hipness. Hobgood's arrangement of "Change Partners/If You Never Come To Me" successfully mergers an Amercian classic onto a classic bossa nova. Another creative medley, "Leaving Again/In The Wee Small Hours," makes an unlikely pairing of Keith Jarrett and Frank Sinatra. Says Elling, "'Leaving Again' is a Keith Jarrett improvisation that I transcribed and wrote a lyric for. It something from the live boxed set that he did with the trio (1994's Keith Jarrett At The Blue Note: The Complete Recordings on ECM). With his usual ingenuity and grace Keith essentially improvised a new verse for 'Wee Small Hours.' It gave me as a lyricist an opportunity to tell a different story with the piece so that instead of it being a lament about having lost someone, it's more about living through the pain of knowing and having love but not having that someone there to share it. That’s part of the jazz thing when you do a standard; you try to find a new shade of meaning or frame it in such a way that it sounds brand new. It definitely helps that I am so interested in writing.” The alluring "And We Will Fly" is a soulful interpretation of a piece by West Coast pianist Alan Pasqua, who originally recorded it on his 2005 trio release My New Old Friend (Cryptogramophone) with drummer Peter Erskine and bassist Derek Oles. “This particular tune just jumped out at me right away but to add a lyric presented a real challenge. I had to figure out how to maintain the delicacy of the piece while also making it clearly a singer’s thing. I needed to soften my approach to delivery in order to maintain the spirit of the original while not getting too constricted by it." The seductive “Nightmoves" is a Michael Franks tune that Elling remembered from his college years. "Some of his stuff always just stuck with me because it’s real hip and intelligent," he says. "He’s a good writer. He keeps everything pretty simple on the melodic front but, boy, he’s got some good lyrics in him. “Where Are You" is a vocalese number written by Elling based on Dexter Gordon's recording of the piece for his 1962 Blue Note recording, Go. Hobgood’s string arrangement here adds a lush element to this gorgeous ballad. And "The Sleepers" is a new incarnation of the Fred Hersch piece that Elling previously sang on Hersch's 2005 Palmetto recording Leaves of Grass and subsequently performed live as part of 10-piece chamber ensemble at Carnegie's Zankel Hall in New York City. The twilight-through-dawn theme that permeates Nightmoves -- from the opening title track to the closing "I Like The Sunrise -- is a leitmotif throughout much of Elling's work. "The night really fascinates me," he says. "The things that happen in the night and the comfort that one can have being shrouded in darkness, in stillness, listening to music and pondering and considering...that has always intrigued me. The dusk-to-dawn theme climaxes with his noble rendition of "I Like The Sunrise," an Ellington composition that has rarely been covered. "I’m not sure why it hasn’t been played more because it’s just pure, dignified Duke spirit," says Kurt. "The natural exuberance that he displayed throughout his life for living and for being a musician really shines through Duke’s writing here. Elling's vocalese version of this obscure Ellington piece is based on Von Freeman's improvised melody of the song from the tenor saxophonist's 2002 recording The Improvisor on Premonition Records, while the lyrics are adapted from a poem by the 13th century Persian poet Jelaluddin Balkhi (also known as Rumi). "Von did a duet with pianist Jason Moran on this tune a few years ago and it was the first time I had heard the piece. I fell in love with it right away, not only because of Duke’s writing but also because Von is just preaching the word in that solo. And the only person whose writing I could think of that approached that level of ecstatic singing was this 13th century mystic poet named Rumi. I did some adapting of Coleman Barks’ great translation of his poem 'Where Everything Is Music.' Some of the lines fit exactly with what Von was playing and some had to be moved around a bit to keep the meaning but fit what Von was saying. But that’s really the three rivers that sourced that piece -- 20th century Ellington, 13th century Rumi and 21st century Vonski. And it all comes together for me." Regarding his inventive take on the jazz classic "Body and Soul," Elling says, "I had wanted to do a vocalese version of that for a decade or more but it's one of those things that I just waited on until the right inspiration and the right reason to write it came along. And when it finally came, it came like gangbusters. Basically, I’m singing a love song to my daughter Luiza. It’s something that I wrote out of respect for the original and shaded by the inspiration of having Luiza in my life. She has changed me – for the better." It is ultimately this transition – from eros to agape, from a possessive desire to a less calculating and more self-giving kind of love – that forms the essence of Nightmoves. It is a personal story of healing told through music, and it resonates with anyone who has gone on a quest for true love. Release date: April 3, 2007
TRACK LISTING
1 Nightmoves
2 Tight 3 Change Partners/If You Never Come To Me 4 Undun 5 Where Are You? 6 And We Will Fly 7 The Waking 8 The Sleepers 9 Leaving Again/In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning 10 Body & Soul 11 I Like The Sunrise 12 Europe Bonus: Luiza 13 Europe Bonus: Body & Soul (Live in Amsterdam) 14 Japan Bonus: Well, Did You Evah (What A Swell Party This Is) 15 Web Bonus: Body & Soul (Kennedy Center Cut)
Where Are You?
Music by by Jimmy McHugh Where is your heart, my love? I can’t believe you’d forget. I still see your smile in my memories and photographs Making love with you was easy – it was a thrill My angel, where can you be? You have flown out – So where – baby where – are you? And now – starting now and my whole life through must I go on just pretending I need you baby, but darling where, baby, where are you? 
And We Will Fly
Music by Alan Pasqua Love / let’s catch the wind On the way / the day will fade We can glide / though ocean sky And the sea will kiss the sky
Leaving Again/In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning
Music improvised by Keith Jarrett Sleeping / Waking / Crying / Leaving again / It’s morning / I have to go And when morning found us I pulled you to me and promised to stay In the we small hours of the morning / while the whole wide world is fast asleep And when your lonely heart has learned its lesson / you’d be hers if only she would call
I Like The Sunrise
Music by Duke Ellington I like the sunrise / ‘cause it brings a new day I like the sunrise / blazing in the new sky Every evening I wish upon a star that my brand new bright tomorrow isn’t very far Then I like the sunrise / so heavenly to see Don’t worry about saving this music / or be scared if the singing ends and the sound of a life sends an echoing out / the poem sings willingly in each newborn’s crying shout / but it’s growing slowly / and keeps many secrets / stop the words and listen / feel the echo of it starting / open a space in the center of your beating heart
Web Bonus: Body & Soul (Kennedy Center Cut)
Music by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, Johnny Green My heart was misty-hued and lonely / from missing you I’d drift around town with downcast dreams in my pockets Life was just a trial of wanting / things that are true now I’ll make us a space / inasmuch as love can do I watch the sun rise on you / and on the hour you wake Love is the only thing to balance fearing Waiting too long for a sign you would come was what Finally the music has a reason to be singing. I remember stories of Orpheus and his love ruinous / Euridice Just as bad / Orphie had / to stay up and lay up with us here / but without her. jamming a plan Knowing what we live is part of history Wonder when we’ll get together or if life’s a broken song And that’s why our teachers teach “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” My life a heaven you are making / you have got me in the bag That’s the gist of it. How come was I / Pie in the sky / more do or die / I hope someday you will see just what I mean and so my baby then perhaps (then) you will realize YOU! Thanks for listening.
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