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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superbly realized project, August 24, 2009
One of the legendary jazz meetings was that between the John Coltrane Quartet and singer Johnny Hartman in 1963 for Impulse Records. It's six tracks captured an ambiance of vocal and instrumental interaction that has become iconic as a standard of a perfect session. Singer Kurt Elling, a jazz performer with a style uniquely his own - like a Mark Murphy - has released "Dedicated To You" - recorded live at the Allen Room of New York's Lincoln Center.
How flawed it would be to attempt to recreate John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman as it was originally recorded. The session was a brief meeting between a legendary musician and his long-time quartet and the literally inimitable baritone voice of Johnny Hartman. By whatever chance of felicity occasioned this session, that failed to generate much enthusiasm after its release, time has taken these classic tracks and imbued them with a musical flavor much as the with finest wine, exquisitely aged. The music only becomes better. What difficult task, then, to revisit this music and evoke the masters. Too often, tribute recordings such as this fall prey to that very fallacy, that classic recordings are just that - impossible to recreate and attempts to honor them or capture their flavor can only fall short in comparison, whether the attempt be good or marginal. So Elling must have considered this potential pitfall, yet he is no singer that would endeavor to do a cover - his style is too unique and invested of its own indomitable energy. So the project Elling undertook was to honor the album on his own terms. To that extent, the result is exquisite. It is, in many ways, a signature statement from Elling, summing up his style in a reverent yet thoroughly exciting performance.
Kurt Elling, although capable of beautiful ballad singing, possesses a powerful tenor voice capable of soaring notes that he his not reluctant to use to ofttimes startling degree. Generally Elling is not for the faint hearted. He is also a highly exciting stylist, either with familiar fair or his frequent explorations of jazz standards to which he adds lyrics. Witness his treatment of Freddie Hubbard's "Delphia" (not an easy vocal task by any standard) on "This Time It's Love" (Blue Note), that Elling re-titles as "Freddie's Yen For Jen" or Donald Byrd's "Tanya" on "The Messenger" (Blue Note). He will also embark upon beat-influenced flights that recall Lord Buckley, or Kerouac, on tracks such as "It's Just A Thing" from "The Messenger". There's a degree of similarity with Mark Murphy as such, although Elling perhaps carries these concepts to a greater degree that may have more than a little to do with relative age at the onset of CD recording lengths.
All of which brings us to "Dedicated To You". Elling is accompanied by long-time pianist Laurence Hobgood - a fine player who is perfectly attuned to Elling and his flights. Ernie Watts guests with the tenor saxophone work and the rhythm section is fleshed out with bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Ulysses Owens. For added effect, the ETHEL String Quartet is present for this engagement.
All six tracks from the Coltrane And Hartman session are represented, as well as several numbers that Coltrane did on his "Ballads" album. The string quartet opens "All Or Nothing At All", that also provides interesting counterpoint to the rhythm section's vamp on the familiar melody. Elling renders this torchy ballad in relatively laid-back form, his hearty voice resonating beautifully and fading for Watts' tenor solo. There's echoes of Coltrane's sound here, with intonations alluding to his style on occasion. Watts is a fine, experienced player and his sound is warm, rich and fulfills the intent.
Rather than the expected vocal, "Easy To Remember" is Elling's dissertation upon the circumstances of the classic Coltrane/Hartman meeting. Sensitively done, with strings and piano, Elling tells us, "we remember them both. We're jazz people. And, for us, it's easy".
For a moment with the plucking of strings, one thinks it's Stan Getz's "Focus" album. But it's Kurt Elling, delicately traipsing into Rodgers and Hart's "Dedicated To You". As with any superb stylist, Elling's reading of the tune is not precise but inflected with his own interpretation and augmentation of the melody. Hobgood's piano solo evolves into a soaring statement whereupon Elling sails in again with a remarkable vocal flight before the number ends with the soft plucking of the strings. Very nice.
Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life", the quintessential lament of love lost and life in limbo, bears the indelible stamp of the mood Hartman conveyed. Elling makes his own mark upon the song while rendering a thoroughly unique interpretation. "Autumn Serenade", such a gorgeous tune, is treated a few beats up from the classic version and Watts' tenor reigns until Elling voices the devastatingly gorgeous lyrics of this evergreen.
"Say It (Over And Over Again)" , from the pens of Frank Loesser and Jimmy McHugh, is another one of the nonpareil ballads, "standards", that weather the years impeccably due to their finely crafted, intelligent lyrics and exquisite melodies. Elling takes this one softly in a number that is showcase for Watts and beautifully enhanced with the strings. Note that this isn't a string dubbed recording. The string quartet is used in tasteful effect, not continually, or obtrusively to cover up defects or lacks in the performance. It really works quite well.
"They Say It's Wonderful" is done as a relaxed swinger versus the straight balladic treatment on the Coltrane/Hartman album. This is a nice embellishment and sounds more as if it comes from Sinatra's "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" - an easy, breezy gas. "Nancy With The Laughing Face" harkens back to Sinatra, as well, actually; although Coltrane also did it on his "Ballads" session. The treatment is a step or two up from the melancholy ballad with Elling's voice again resonating with control and style. The album closes with "You Are Too Beautiful", another Rodgers and Hart number, the lyrics of which would be worth the price of admission of themselves - timeless, substantial and warm. Elling imbues the tune with a convincing reading interspersed by Watts' tenor, a string passage and then returns to the refrain to end a marvelously conceived and delightfully executed album.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Wary but pleased, November 12, 2009
While I am a Kurt Elling fan, I am also one of those who believe the night Johnnie Hartman and John Coltrane recorded their eponymous album was absolute magic that has yet to be duplicated or even approached by contemporary artists. Accordingly, I approached this project with considerable trepidation. My fears were misplaced--Elling and arranger Hobgood have created something different yet complimentary to those great jazz giants. The only interpretation that misses the mark in my opinion is " My one and only Love". Then again, how does one improve on the verbal perfection that was Johnnie Hartman on that track.
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10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
They Say It's Wonderful, July 7, 2009
Many, myself included, hold the opinion that John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman's 1963 eponymous album is the greatest vocal jazz c.d. ever recorded. Based on this recording, one person who certainly agrees with that assessment is Kurt Elling. This is a loving tribute, a loving re-creation.
Is it as good? As they say in the opera world, "Aria kidding me??" No modern jazz or cabaret singer has the full, rich bass-baritone range of Johnny Hartman; and nobody can produce gut-wrenching sheets of sound, past or present, like John Coltrane.
Yet, if there is one male jazz singer who could do the album justice, it is Kurt Elling. But interestingly, he doesn't use the structure of the Coltrane/Hartman or the Coltrane Ballads albums (both of which he covers here, as the original Coltrane/Hartman album was only about 30 minutes long) as a springboard for his wild vocalese, like you might expect. Instead, with pianist Laurence Hobgood's arrangements for the "Ethel" string quartet, the c.d. takes a "classical feel," as though this is truly classical music that deserves such treatment; and the incredibly soulful Ernie Watts is on hand, to remind us all that this, after all, was Trane's music.
All of that sounds like a 4-star review. The reason for 5 is: Elling sings beautifully. As I noted in my review of 2007's wonderful "Nightmoves," he is getting more like Sinatra all of the time. I was particularly impressed by how well he was able to jump vocal registers in "Lush Life"; not many singers can do what he did here. And Hobgood and Elling have done a marvelous job in producing this c.d. It sounds wonderful, throughout.
I'm glad Kurt Elling did this tribute. I look forward to his return to the approaches he has taken on tunes such as "Tanya Jean," "Effendi," and "Hold Tight." RC
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