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It's been at least a few months since I said how much I hate Kurk Elling, something I would be more that willing to stuff in the memory trash can were it not for being cruelly exposed on a regular basic because my Jazz station happens to adore the guy!Where to start? The voice, yes the voice with its multi-octave range. Big F'in deal! It sounds like a painful drone to me, and its all, "Wow, look at how long I hold a note, Ain't I F'in special". Oh Zeus strike me dead before the note ends!!
The lyrics? It's funny I was just bemoaning the attention given to the no-talent air head, Taylor Swift. Ever listen to her lyrics? It's beyond banal self-adoration. But what is truly pathetic is that in the Jazz world we have our very own all growed up version of the very same thing, no! ... worst!!!
He's a sample of the sickly melodramatic romantic babble he drones on in songs that seem never ending, pure torture to the last long held droning note ... Just miserable!
---
Looking in your eyes, kind of heaven eyes
Closing both my eyes, waiting for surpriseTo see the heaven in your eyes is not so far
'Cause I'm not afraid to try and go it
To know a love and the beauty never known before
I'll leave it up to you to show itAnd golden lady, golden lady, I'd like to go there
Golden lady, golden lady, I'd like to go there
Please take me right awayLooking at your hands, hands can understand
Waiting for the chance just to hold your hand
____and on and on and on ....
Edits: 11/07/14Follow Ups:
Almost pissed myself at, "Oh Zeus strike me dead before the note ends!!" Classic.Banal lysrics can really get to me sometimes. Once I was driving my car when the woman singing on the CD rattled off one of the stupidest lyrics I'd ever heard. It infuriated me so that I immediately popped it out of the player, rolled down my window, and tossed it out onto the highway. I did feel better after doing that. And now I know WHY I see CDs scattered about on the road at times.
Edits: 11/08/14 11/08/14
nt
I thought the name was "Justin Beaver"..........
I used to rail on Kurt Elling on this very board.... Before I became aware of this singing enhancement called "Auto-Tune"......
But since learning about Auto-Tune roughly 7 years ago, I've laid off my criticism of singers for singing horribly off-key.... (Barbra Streisand was another one.) Because I believe using Auto-Tune is a far worse offense. And it has engulfed the music industry like a cancer- Over 90 percent of the pop singers today use it.
It would be more constructive to point out the few decent singers of today. But it's becoming almost impossible to find one who hasn't used technological "enhancements". Even Elling has done so in recent time.
Todd the Crusader on his trusty steed!
So I'm in with a sore throat tonight, listening to Kurt Elling. He has an excellent ear for pitch and musical instincts. And he has to, because he has an extraordinarily limited vocal range (sorry, bjh!) and no strength or support at all to his sound.
He is very much a latter-day Sinatra, who perfectly matched his style to his limited vocal gifts, only with even more limited vocal gifts. But if every singer had the voice of Robert Goulet, wouldn't that be boring? Elling has to find creative and interesting ways to make music, and I like that very much.
Actually as a big Sinatra fan I have a painful admission to make.
I heard this vocal standard on my Jazz station and I though ... Wow! Bublé just nailed it, just great ... and then the announcement ... it was Sinatra! :(
BTW, forgetting voice, there is another element to Sinatra's greatness that only illustrates the relative weakness (being generous) of Elling ... song selection!
"I heard this vocal standard on my Jazz station and I though ... Wow! Bublé just nailed it, just great ... and then the announcement ... it was Sinatra! :("
Ka-blam...........
Sinatra worked hard on his act and set the bar very high. I did not mean to suggest that Elling is his equal. He isn't (imo), nor is Bublé. But they are both Sinatra disciples, and I'd bet good money they would both acknowledge him as an important influence.
So two octaves is just not enough?
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Hey, what was Rex Harrison's range? Half an octave? ;-)
And your point is ............?
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Harrison was a highly effective singer, as is Kurt Elling, though neither would be asked to sing Calaf at the Met. I like 'em both. YMMV.
Don't be so silly.
The folks that can sing Calaf you can count on two hands, maybe one.
Like, in the world.
Can't speak about Rex, he was an actor, NOT a singer. He's ....... O.K..
Kurt Elling is considerably more of a singer and a guy who can find the right note in a chord.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Basically, my point was that people can have a wide range of talents and voices and still be effective performers on stage (or in club, or on record). The fact that Kurt Elling is not Jussi Bjorling is not a knock on either singer. They have different talents, which is a major reason music is such a wonderful art.
You seem very sensitive on this topic, I'm not sure why. Kurt Elling is obviously a major talent, I'd be delighted to hear him live. Maybe he isn't someone else's cup of tea, and that caused a major debate here at some point? That's not me, I like his style very much, unlike bjh, apparently.
You are correct. I am sensitive when talking about the voice since I have a degree in it.
The statement that bit my cookie was "he has an extraordinarily limited vocal range and no strength or support at all to his sound."
Two octaves is not extraordinarily(!) limited and he sounds (to me) like he has plenty of support. Frank Sinatra had a wide range as well but most pop songs he sang did not require him to use it. He learned long breathed phrasing from one of his bosses, Tommy Dorsey.
I'm not all that crazy about pop/jazz singers but you are correct that Kurt Elling is very talented and has good taste, a nice, and not that common, combination.
Oh, and BTW, I'll take Corelli over Bjorling any day. :^)
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
I once heard Corelli do a long radio interview. Even his conversational speaking voice was worth paying money to hear. Plus he had a charming habit of lapsing into Italian when searching for the right word.
Also, as spectacular as Bjorling was on record, I've read that in person he was best heard in solo recital, as he didn't have a big enough voice for the big opera roles on stage. Of course I have no idea if that's so, but I'll accept your pick.
Edit: And a singer like Kurt Elling is an expert in drawing a wealth of creative effects from the voice God gave him. Saying he is more a modern Frank Sinatra than a modern Robert Goulet is hardly a putdown. He actually has superb technique -- just not in the classical sense. As a voice student, I'm sure you know what I mean.
Edits: 11/08/14
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Kindly identify a specific note sung by Kurt Ruling that is "off-key" and whether it's flat or sharp.
Dave
/
... But then there might not be even one that he can identify. Shucks. He does remain the arbiter of all things pitch and the ultimate judge of singing capabilities, according to him anyway.Dave
Edits: 11/07/14
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And Babs , too, for that matter.
I think that's a Stevie Wonder lyric...(Innervisions)
K.
And how many songwriters wrote lyrics that are memorable?
Not many I'm afraid.
Lucdky for us, many of them aren't easily undestandable.
Serving up content-free posts on the Internet since 1984.
which I recorded off XM, Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola with guest Nancy King. Very hot.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
His song.
But frankly I just grabbed that one after a quick search. In truth I regularly (ugh) hear Elling doing much worst material, songs that seem to have a 1000 or more words, all soppy horrid stuff in a similar vein, things I assume he wrote himself if only because I just can't imagine any self-respecting songwriter penning such stuff.
Do you ever wish you had a magic button that would retrieve an email... or a post.. so it never happened?
I sure do. lol
"Do you ever wish you had a magic button that would retrieve an email... or a post.. so it never happened?"
Mine is on a long time delay ... but fear not, by this time tomorrow none of this will ever have happened. ;)
OK, perhaps that's not such a great thing after all. =:-0
Edits: 11/07/14
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Not that I really want to know.
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