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| Kurt Elling - 2006 Artist In Residence of Monterey Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is kicking off the new year with a bang with the announcement of 2006 Artist-in-Residence, Kurt Elling. The internationally renowned jazz vocalist will visit Monterey throughout the year to teach and inspire some of the world's greatest emerging jazz talent through the Festival's acclaimed youth education programs. His residency will commence in full swing April 20 with with a concert at “Monterey Live, ” an intimate performance venue located in the heart of Monterey, and will continue April 21-23 at the 2nd Annual Next Generation Festival, a celebration of youth in jazz taking place in the historic and lively hub of downtown Monterey. The Next Generation Festival includes the Monterey Jazz Festival's 36th Annual National High School Competition for big bands, combos and vocal ensembles, with top musicians competing to win a spot on the stages of the 49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon. Kurt Elling will continue his residency in the summer of 2006 at the Monterey Jazz Festival's Summer Jazz Camp, taking place June 19-30 at Monterey Peninsula College. The MJF Summer Jazz Camp provides Monterey County students a unique, rewarding, and fun opportunity to pursue an intensive and focused study of jazz with many of the finest educators in the field. MJF provides some full scholarships and subsidizes nearly 80% of Camp costs for all eligible students to assure that young jazz musicians can take advantage of this incredible opportunity for summer study. All of the year's educational activities will come to fruition with dazzling performances at the 49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon September 15-17. Kurt Elling will complete his 2006 residency activities by not only headlining performances and discussions throughout the three-day festival, but also appearing with the MJF Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, a collection of the nation's best jazz high school students. This performance, traditionally scheduled during the Festival's Sunday Afternoon Arena/ Lyons Stage line-up, is sure to be a highlight for both the young musicians and the discriminating music fans witnessing one of jazz's brightest stars share the stage with the next generation of jazz virtuosos. Despite Kurt Elling's forays teaching jazz, the acclaimed vocalist's entry into music involved less formal education than real-world experience. While attending the University of Chicago's divinity school graduate program, Elling began performing in Chicago venues and South Side clubs and quickly gained local prominence. Within three years, Elling was signed to Blue Note Records with the 1995 smash success, “Close Your Eyes.” Since then, he has released five additional albums of self-produced music and received seven Grammy Award nominations. In the category of “Best Male Singer, ” Mr. Elling has won the DownBeat and the JazzTimes critics' polls three years running, the DownBeat readers' poll, two Jazz Journalists Awards, the 2006 JazzTimes readers' poll, and the Prix Billie Holiday from the Academie du Jazz in Paris. Widely known for combining vocalese with the spoken word, improvised scatting, and the classic jazz songbook, Kurt Elling is credited with re- energizing the art of jazz singing for new generation. With his appointment as the Monterey Jazz Festival's 2006 Artist-in-Residence, he is poised to energize yet another generation of future jazz musicians. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |