Man in the Air

Kurt Elling | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 22, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00009V8VG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,323 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No description available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Rating:
Release Date: 0000-00-00
Media Type: Compact Disk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical stuff, bold statement, May 2, 2004

By 

souldrummer (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Man in the Air (Audio CD)

Kurt Elling's become a bit of a critics' darling. I've been wary of him due to my afrocentric aesthetics and my general aversion from vocalists [Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan the principal exceptions].

Yet I was in Karibu books in Bowie, MD and I heard the track "Resolution" from this CD. I was immediately taken with Kurt's art, and I am in the process of acquiring all of his other CDs. "Man In the Air" was the first one I purchased and I was blown away.

Kurt is an amazing musician first and foremost. He has dead on pitch and the chops to tackle tricky intervals and demanding material. He sings Coltrane's solo to "Resolution" and adds a fresh slant to a classic 'Trane solo. There are countless other beautiful moments on this CD. "Winelight" is a gentle nod at the classic version by Grover Washington. "Time To say Goodbye" is a tender rendition of the Weather Report with Jaco Pastorius classic. "Hidden Jewel" is an ecletic choice of a cover; it's a tune by Bobby Watson.

Kurt Elling is a capable postmodern jazz musician who uses his chops to tackle the repertoire while staying personal and true to himself.

What vaulted this album to 5 star status for me, however, is the romantic, inclusive spirituality of this album. Minuano is a multilayered tale of a woman's longing for a lover?/God?/guru?. And Elling's lyrics to Resolution become a call to praise and worship all gods. Not all listeners will appreciate explicit spiritual expression with their jazz, but I find this to be a risky genuine expression of a musician who is willing to show us his core. An earlier Elling CD I purchased, "The Messenger" had some beat poetry/spoken word elements that interrupted the flow of the album and seemed either tricky or unnecessary. Here, I find Elling's lyrics to be a valuable insight into the music.

Kurt Elling is a major jazz voice right now who goes up there with Kenny Garrett for me on the small list of current jazz musicians who are not merely praising the past, but engaging the tradition to say something personal and new.

5 stars for me, 4 stars for any who disagree with his lyrics [you may want to check these out on kurtelling.com before purchasing the album]

--souldrummer

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Effort from Master Vocalist/Lyricist, July 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Man in the Air (Audio CD)

For a jazz horn snob like myself, it's rare for me to rave about any singer, but Elling is the *stuff*. I heard him live last year and have been accumulating his CDs and turning friends onto them ever since.

It's all there on Man in the Year -- Kurt's soaring voice, profound lyrics, clever Laurence Hobgood arrangements and pleasantly diverse material.

Kind of like Marvin Gaye, it's funny that when Kurt isn't singing about love/... ("Winelight"), he's writing lyrics about God/theology ("Resolution", "Higher Vibe", title track). It's some of these theology-based lyrics I find most meaningful. You can see the lyrics on Elling's website.

Kurt's lyrics to Coltrane's "Resolution", are in my opinion a masterpiece. Since this is the first US release of Elling's "Resolution", it should certainly open some eyes, although if you like this version you should try to track down the more intense but less "clean" live version of this song on Live from Chicago: The Out Takes (Australian Blue Note release). The version on Man in the Air seems to suffer from a lack of assertiveness from the drums (how can you remake an Elvin Jones/Trane duo if someone isn't kicking the living #%@% out of the drums?)

Finally, "Time to Say Goodbye" is simply beautiful, and it's not the first time an Elling song has made tears well in my eyes. (He also matches Wayne Shorter's phrasing to a note.)

Elling's appreciation of beauty is truly artistic, and wonderful for his listeners to behold.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best in Chicago Jazz, August 15, 2003

By 

Shadasious (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man in the Air (Audio CD)

As a lifelong Chicagoan and as a person who has heard jazz constantly from local stars and family alike, I have been a Kurt Elling fan since his 1st CD in 1995. This is his best recording, all of his skills are on display and he is in top form. Vocalese is his specialty, taking a previously recorded tune and writing lyrics for that tune that was a hit on its own instrumental right. Songs like my fave Winelight, A Time to Say Goodbye and Never My Love, never sounded better. Laurence Hobgood his collaborater, producer, arranger and pianist is a marvel on the 88 keys and Stefon Harris adds just the right touches on the vibes to make this a celebrated recording. If you want to get a feel of current Chicago and contemporary jazz, get this CD first, then listen to other recordings by Kurt and then check out our other innovative hometown jazz people, Patricia Barber, Ken Vandermark, Grazyna Auguscik, Orbert Davis & Jim Gailloreto, you won't be disappointed or bored.