Kurt Elling Quotes

Author Image

Kurt Elling

Profession : Musician

Birth : November 2, 1967

That's the thing: There are so many art songs in jazz. It's a much more rich experience for the singer than people think.

Kurt Elling

I was very lucky that more experienced musicians allowed me to caterwaul until I figured out what it was really about.

Kurt Elling

You learn as much as you can from the people that you work with. That's why you want to surround yourself with the heaviest people that you can possibly get to.

Kurt Elling

Sometimes people have this notion that improvisation is simply intuitive leaping into the unknown.

Kurt Elling

Salacious? I suppose every once in a while the salacious thing is not a bad thing. It's kind of monochromatic if that's all you do.

Kurt Elling

People want to have access to jazz because it has a vibe that's very strong.

Kurt Elling

The great jazz and jazz-influenced singers carry themselves with a certain panache and a certain elegance and, for lack of a better word, self-confidence.

Kurt Elling

People just want to dig; they want to dance. They don't want to work all through the night, and neither do I. I like getting 'out there,' but communication should be occurring on more levels than heavy-laden philosophical.

Kurt Elling

I hope that I'm also maturing emotionally as a human being as things go on.

Kurt Elling

There's a spiritual complement to any attempt at transposing a commitment to humanity through music or art.

Kurt Elling

There are incredible musicians around the world.

Kurt Elling

I've got more low notes than I had when I started.

Kurt Elling

I listened to a lot of King Crimson back in the day.

Kurt Elling

I haven't been afraid of John Coltrane or Miles Davis or Bill Evans or Wayne Shorter or Herbie Hancock. Why would I be afraid of the Beatles?

Kurt Elling

I'm a jazz musician, and I really wanted to not miss an opportunity to have the full connection to jazz.

Kurt Elling

The musicians in Chicago gave me my vocation, but New York calls to a jazz musician, for sure. You want to test your mettle.

Kurt Elling

Part of my joy as a singer is to give gifts to people, and one way I try to connect to them is to add something in French or German or whatever.

Kurt Elling

You don't want to make records so you can win a Grammy. You make records because you want to be a musician.

Kurt Elling

As improvisers, we're acting as composers in front of people.

Kurt Elling

It must be a hellish thing to know what's possible in music, to be hearing things all the time and not have an appropriate outlet for them.

Kurt Elling