Kurt Elling

Kurt Elling is a two-time GRAMMY Award–winning vocalist renowned for his signature rich sound and an inventive, deeply individualized body of work. With a one-of-a-kind approach to contemporary beat lyricism and vocalese, the Chicago-based artist has expanded the expressive possibilities of vocal jazz. The New York Times has called Elling “the standout male jazz vocalist of our time,” while The Guardian (UK) praised him as “a kind of Sinatra with superpowers” .Over a career spanning more than twenty-five years of touring and recording, Elling has earned three Prix du Jazz Vocal (France), two German Echo Awards, two Dutch Edison Awards, and sixteen GRAMMY nominations. He has topped the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls for Male Vocalist of the Year for more than a decade and is a twelve-time Jazz Journalists Association Award winner. In recent years, his work has continued to garner widespread acclaim for its ambition, range, and cross-genre reach .In 2024, Elling made his Broadway debut to critical praise, starring as Hermes in the Tony Award–winning musical Hadestown, further underscoring his rare versatility as both a jazz artist and theatrical performer. His performance introduced him to new audiences while reaffirming his stature as one of the most expressive vocalists of his generation. Elling has collaborated with leading figures across the jazz world, including Branford Marsalis, Danilo Pérez, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter, and Stefon Harris, and has appeared as a featured soloist with many of the world’s premier large ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the BBC Concert Symphony Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, the WDR Big Band and Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, and the Village Vanguard Orchestra . A prolific lyricist and composer, Elling has also co-created multidisciplinary works for Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and the City of Chicago. Jazz at Lincoln Center presented the world premiere of The Big Blind, a new jazz musical he is co-writing with songwriter Phil Galdston. National Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky has written that “In Kurt Elling’s art, the voice of jazz gives new spiritual presence to the ancient, sweet and powerful bond between poetry and music” .Elling has toured internationally in a wide range of settings, including UNESCO-sponsored International Jazz Day performances around the globe, and has appeared twice at the White House. He has served as Artist-in-Residence at both the Monterey and Singapore Jazz Festivals and, as an industry leader, spent six years as a Trustee and two years as Vice Chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

Yellowjackets

Bio Throughout their storied 43-year history, the Yellowjackets have recorded 26 albums, received 16 Grammy® nominations– won 2–performed countless sold-out tours, and enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success. The Yellowjackets formed in the late 1970’s as the backup band for guitarist Robben Ford. They recorded their first album together in 1980. Shortly after that recording, however, Ford decided to part ways and go in a different musical direction. As a result, the modern day Yellowjackets were formed — a trio with Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson. Since then, and with the addition of Bob Mintzer, the Yellowjackets have gained and maintained prominence as one of jazz’s most influential and loved groups. Over the years the band has undergone numerous lineup changes. Never failing to rise to the inevitable challenges of adjustment, the Yellowjackets- Russell Ferrante, William Kennedy, Bob Mintzer- have maintained an extraordinarily high quality of musicianship that is the rival of many but a surprise to no one who knows and appreciates the band and their music. The most recent addition to the band adds Australian bass player Dane Alderson in to the mix. With his exceptional rhythmic sensibility and natural disposition toward groove, Dane brings a new energy to the band and adds a youthful approach to the music. The Yellowjackets album “Raising Our Voice” was released in Fall 2018 and features special guest vocalist Luciana Souza. Their album “Jackets XL with the WDR Big Band” was nominated for a Grammy® in 2021. Their latest album “Parallel Motion” (2022) also received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and is a true testament to the longevity and resilience of a band who debuted over 40 years ago. Consistently reinventing themselves through elevated instrumentation in their signature electro-acoustic soundscape, the current lineup showcases a collective at their prime.