Blue Note Records
2003
Man In The Air
About This Album
Kurt Elling has finally delivered on the potential promised on his 1997 album The Messenger. It is true that Elling has been terrifically consistent in his offerings with very inspired performances-- even if the material and its execution were not nearly as adventurous as that storied earlier recording. But Man in the Air is the extension of all the wandering risk of The Messenger. Here Elling and his regular band -- pianist Laurence Hobgood, bassist Rob Amster, and drummer Frank Parker Jr. -- are joined by current vibe king Stefon Harris and Jim Gailloreto on soprano saxophone. The program is a regal selection of compositions by Pat Metheny ("Minuano"), John Coltrane ("Resolution"), Bob Mintzer ("All Is Quiet"), Josef Zawinul ("Time to Say Goodbye"), Herbie Hancock ("A Secret I"), and others, including his bandmates, with lyrics added by Elling. While this may on initial impression seem shocking or even sacrilegious, the result is anything but. In fact, Elling is one one of the few mainstream jazz artists out there currently trying to extend the reach of this music, and to expand it as an artform in an age when reactionary neo-traditionalism is killing it, not only in terms of evolution but in the marketplace, too.
Track List (try track 7)

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