Kurt Elling
Birdland315 West 44th Street, New York 10036
Kurt Elling leads this late Birdland date, billed simply under his own name. The Chicago-based vocalist arrives during a period that includes his Broadway debut as Hermes in Hadestown, alongside recent and forthcoming projects: SuperBlue: Guilty Pleasures, Vol. 2 with Charlie Hunter, the duo EP Wildflowers, Vol. 3 with Christian Sands, and …in the Brass Palace with Bob Mintzer and the WDR Big Band. No accompanying musicians or particular program are listed for this performance.
Elling is a two-time Grammy Award winner whose work joins contemporary Beat lyricism with vocalese, expanding the vocabulary of vocal jazz through an individualized approach. Over more than 25 years of touring and recording, he has received 17 Grammy nominations, spent two decades atop the DownBeat Critics and Readers polls, and won 15 Jazz Journalists Association Male Vocalist of the Year awards. His collaborators include Branford Marsalis, Danilo Pérez, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter and the Yellowjackets; he has also appeared with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, BBC Concert Symphony and Count Basie Orchestra. The New York Times called him “the standout male jazz vocalist of our time,” while The Guardian described him as “a kind of Sinatra with superpowers.”
Birdland offers a refined jazz experience in a room where the audience sits at tables close to the stage, allowing every note to reach you clearly. The venue features a full menu with dishes like New Orleans-style gumbo alongside a well-stocked bar, making it easy to enjoy a meal or drinks while listening. Each show is ticketed per set, encouraging focused listening as the music unfolds in roughly 45-minute segments. The club’s walls echo decades of jazz history, having hosted legends and continuing to attract top contemporary artists. Located in Manhattan’s Theater District, the space balances a serious music environment with the energy of a night out, where attentive audiences savor the performances without distraction. Booking ahead is essential, as the club fills quickly for its celebrated lineup.