(Preview by Russell).
This Wednesday, May 20, there is only one place to be
– Sage Gateshead. Kurt Elling, the pre-eminent singer of his generation, is in
town. Chicago-born Elling will be singing with the finest big band in the land,
the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra in a programme celebrating the centenary
of the birth of the pre-eminent singer of the twentieth century – Frank
Sinatra.
This Sage Gateshead concert appearance will be the
only date in England. Elling will fly in from the States to link up with Tommy
Smith’s award-winning orchestra, make for the rehearsal studio, then make the
trip to Gateshead Quays. After that, Elling, Smith and the band head north of
the border to play a further four dates before the Chicagoan flies back to the
States. You could catch him at Birdland in NYC, or perhaps on the French
Riviera when he returns to Europe to headline at the Nice Jazz Festival.
Booking tickets for Sage Gateshead is the easier option! Kurt Elling with a big
band in Hall One promises to be an unforgettable experience.
Kurt Elling and Tommy Smith were born in the same year
– 1967. The American singer read philosophy by day, sitting-in at jazz clubs by
night. Jazz won out, the student Elling sang for little in the way of financial
reward but his determination to make it is our gain. Smith’s music teacher
recognised her saxophonist student had something special. At the age of sixteen
he recorded his first album – Giant
Strides. Two years later, thanks to the local community raising funds,
Smith was able to enroll at Berklee. Gary Burton drafted him into his band and
Smith went on to record with his own band Forward Motion.
A teenage Tommy Smith played gigs for Jazz North East,
went on to release two dozen albums and, twenty years ago, founded the Scottish
National Jazz Orchestra. Smith, the orchestra’s Artistic Director, has
established the band at the top of its profession. Tours throughout the UK with
guest soloists have become a fixture on the jazz scene and such is the band’s
reputation it has toured North America.
Kurt Elling possesses a four-octave baritone voice,
for many years working with pianist Laurence Hobgood. He has been voted Best
Male Vocalist in Down Beat’s Critics’ Poll for the last fourteen years, the
magazine’s Readers’ Poll is catching up (eight at the last count), Jazz Times’
awards are many, as are Grammy Award nominations with the 2009 recording Dedicated to You securing a Grammy for
Best Vocal Jazz Album. Having had the privilege of recording for Blue Note and working
with a long list of the very best in the business (Joanne Brackeen, Bob Mintzer
and Jon Hendricks to name but three) Kurt Elling is at the top of his game. The
Scottish National Jazz Orchestra boasts some of the best musicians working in
jazz today. The orchestra without a guest artist is well worth hearing, with
Kurt Elling on the bill ‘Elling Swings Sinatra’ at Sage Gateshead is a live
contender for gig of the year! Book now – telephone the ticket office on 0191
443 4661.
Russell.
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