KURT ELLING JAM talks with the Chicago-based singer about awards, influences and scat singing... and jazz in the 21st century.   Kurt Elling JAM: You've been nominated for several Grammys. How important are such awards in jazz? KE: Well, I think they are important in any of the genres of music. And the way they have the (Grammy) system set up, it's not a jive award. It's actually the real deal. When it comes to the jazz categories, it's an honor just to be in the top five, because it really does come from an audience of your peers. And, you know, winning would be cool, too! No doubt about it. But, I've usually thought of it as more of a business concern than anything else; I mean, awards and things like that for music, or for any kind of art... (pause) Art justifies itself. And an award, or a nomination for an award is just the icing on the cake. And the cake already exists, because the artist made that first. JAM: Some of your work has been compared to that of Mark Murphy. Such comparisons are usually meaningless, but how much of an influence has he been? KE: I would say a pretty big influence. He was the artist who really showed me how one could pull so many different kinds of art into one place and have it all be a jazz experience. You know, spoken word, scatting, straight singing... everything that fits under the umbrella. I'm trying to take that to the next level now and incorporate visual art and architecture. I was fortunate to be commissioned to write and direct the millennium show for the city of Chicago. We had Buddy Guy, an 85-voice gospel choir, my band... and I was able to incorporate a lot of the work of the city's living artists, the architecture of the city, dance... I think jazz lends itself to that kind of incorporation. As long as it's swingin', man, it still works. JAM: You mentioned scat singing... Why are there so few really good scat singers, not only today but throughout the history of jazz? KE: (pause) I think maybe it's because a lot of the people who could scat ridiculously well if they wanted to already play another instrument... and they haven't spent the time developing their vocal technique. My guess is that 90% of the musicians out there who play wind instruments could probably scat circles around 99% of the jazz singers (laughs). But they prefer to go the way of doing it on a horn. JAM: You were born and raised in Chicago. Was that a stimulating environment for an aspiring jazz musician? KE: It would have been! I wasn't even that aware of jazz until I was in college. I was doing all straight music until then. But the straight music that I did really lent itself to what I would call a kind of harmonic facility. You know, with Bach you get to learn counterpoint whether you like it or not! But yes, Chicago does have this incredible, thriving scene; and once I got plugged into that, a lot of information was thrown in my direction pretty quickly. JAM: Who were some of your most important musical influences growing up? KE: My father, first and foremost. He was a church musician when I was growing up and that enabled me to do all the "longhair" stuff... Bach, Handel... He was the church organist and the choirmaster, and he also taught in the high schools in Chicago and the Chicago area. I learned a lot from him about the positive effects of music, how to put on a show, the corporate side of music, and how to translate elements of the human experience into beautiful, dignified, moving, musical experiences. (pause) I also learned a lot (then) from the ritual setting of the church, where music is so integral to the forwarding of the ritual experience. And I think I got a sense from that of what could happen in any kind of musical setting, if you chose to have it go that way. You know, with programming, special effects, story-telling... everything that goes into a performance. JAM: The Green Mill is certainly one of Chicago's most noted jazz clubs, and it's also where your most recent CD, Live in Chicago, was recorded. How important has the Green Mill been to your evolution as a jazz artist? KE: I think it's important to have a home base. And for me, the Mill has been a forum for my development. It was the first place where I sat in, and it's still the place for cats to have a regular gig -- if you can land one there. The owner, Dave Jemilo, respects the music and lets you play what you want. Also, the tenure of the gigs there tends to be fairly long. (Saxophonist) Ed Peterson, who's on a number of my records, had a band at the Mill on Monday nights with all new music, his own writing, Mingus charts, things like that. And that gig lasted for eight years. It's the kind of place where you can have a band that develops a sound and where you can develop an audience. I've been very fortunate to have a Wednesday night gig there for almost three and a half years. "We need to stop asking what we've been and what we are, and start asking what we might be. If that starts to happen, the artists are going to have a lot more say about how things go down." -- Kurt Elling JAM: Now that we've entered the 21st century, where does a young jazz artist like yourself see the music going in the coming years? KE: (pause) I hope the culture of the United States will get over the ironic, over-the-shoulder look... you know, the re-digestion of everything with an ironic glint in your eye. We need to stop asking what we've been and what we are, and start asking what we might be. If that starts to happen, the artists are going to have a lot more say about how things go down. And the corporate element is not going to have quite as much to say. People want real answers to that kind of question. It's easy to play around with masks, and be cynical, and be too wry for our own good. But, if you're asking a question about the future you're asking a hopeful question... and musicians are people who are always searching for answers anyway in the musical realm. It's never-ending; the quest goes on. "Where is the next new sound?..." And as that process happens, musicians are just going to keep doing what they've always done: looking for the answer to whatever their current musical preoccupation is. So, I think it will continue to be a step-by-step process. And I can only hope that the entire community of humans takes a look and sees what the artists are up to, because there's a lot of very valuable stuff being passed around! And not that many people are paying attention to it. ...But, I guess that's sorta par for the course. (laughs) JAM: Finally, we have to ask the obligatory desert island question. Which three would you take? KE: Three? Oh man, that's rough... JAM: OK, five. KE: (laughs) Hmmm... is this like an island with palm trees? Or one off the coast of Copenhagen? (laughs) OK, I'll give it a stab. Wayne's "Speak No Evil." Cannonball's "Somethin' Else." Herbie's "The Prisoner." King Crimson, "Discipline." And Miles' live concert, "My Funny Valentine/Four and More." I take that one on the road with me all the time. JAM: It's interesting that there's a shortage of vocalists there... KE: Well... you know... (laughs) I like singers a lot. But it's too difficult to choose singers. JAM: Why? KE: Why... (pause) I tire of singers' records a lot more easily than I tire of instrumental records. For me, there are a lot more possibilities for writing on an instrumental record. Nine times out of ten the harmonic content is a lot heavier, and that's the stuff I'm trying to learn. And I think that's where singers need to be going; they need to be catching up. And I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean, Abby Lincoln sounds incredible; just the looseness of her delivery at this point, and the wisdom and depth of her musicianship is pretty stunning. And Frank. Man...how could you not take "Live at the Sands." But, in a way, I have that stuff in my head a lot as it is, and I listen to it all the time... without even putting it on a turntable.    © 2000 Mike Metheny Kurt Elling will be appearing at the Music Lover's Jazz Festival in Liberty on Saturday, February 26. RETURN TO FEBRUARY 2000 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.