"Having done so many
projects about my love for Chicago," says vocalist Kurt Elling," I
wanted to make something that spoke of my love for New York." The two
cities define his career. Elling developed his craft in Chicago, and recorded
several of his early discs there. But in fact, the singer and his family have lived
in Manhattan since 2008 and "1619 Broadway-the Brill Building Project" is
his response to that experience. At its peak, the building in the heart of
midtown Manhattan served as the creative home for more than 160 tenants
associated with the pop-music industry. Elling focuses on a handful of those
classic writing teams, including Leiber & Stoller, Bacharach & David,
Cahn & Van Heusen, and Goffin & King.
Closer to home, Eastern Iowa's own Equilateral has dished up another helping of
exciting jazz on "Loud and Dark." As KCCK's Craig Kessler explains,
"Although Equilateral has already issued two sparkling gems of earlier
studio CD 'documents,' this wondrous band's art and music continues to evolve
and expand. Individually, the members' artistic talents and merits can
certainly stand on their own. But as a group, the mushroom cloud of musical
explosion and the excitement generated from the compositions, the blowing, and
the overall jaw-dropping ensemble performance continue to floor me!" The
quartet includes saxophonist Chris Merz, trumpeter Brent Sandy, bassist Greg
Mazunik and drummer Eric Thompson, "the finest unit that this area has
ever produced."
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