{"id":2957,"date":"2021-12-24T14:03:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-24T19:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=2957"},"modified":"2021-12-26T11:59:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-26T16:59:09","slug":"holidays-with-music-in-person-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2021\/12\/holidays-with-music-in-person-or-not.html","title":{"rendered":"Holidays with music, in person or not"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite my avowed abhorrence of Christmas music<\/a>, I enjoyed maestro Kurt Elling<\/a> leading his hometown quintet in a holiday-themed<\/a> performance at Chicago’s City Winery<\/a> last Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kurt Elling \u00c2\u00a9 Marc PoKempner<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

My entire evening — accompanied by best friends<\/a>, and including the surprise discovery after the Winery show of a heartening young trumpeter at the Hungry Brain<\/a> — was a reminder that hearing music in person with others is a key experience, even if the potential for spreading disease makes us stay home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[What I’ve been listening to at home: Favorites of ’21<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A seasoned and complete performer at age 54, Elling is a canny and original vocalist with a unique approach and seemingly genuine persona. Singer-songwriter-bandleader-storyteller-character actor– well-tailored, a good mover, a model of sophisticated masculinity — he ought to be in movies! I felt lucky to hear Kurt charm a full house (150-200 attendees for an 8 pm second show, maybe 95% masked, seated at socially distanced four-tops), stirring his vocal resources and fellow music-makers’ skills into a flowing entertainment of thoughtful depth and inclusive warmth. True jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elling has carved a place for himself between bel canto balladeer and husky-throated songster. He’s able to sustain ringing high tones dramatically and also growl or cast an aside as if under his breath yet still remain audible and understandable). Most often he starts casually then ramps up to a swinging stance, like a smart pal with something valuable to say. Consider him in the lineage of regular (but talented!) guys like Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Gene Kelly, Chicago’s own Mel Torm\u00c3\u00a9, Joe Williams, Oscar Brown Jr. and Nate “King” Cole. Guitarist-singer John Pizzarelli is another currently working in this vein (and I won’t rule out Patricia Barber, haven’t listened enough to say), but unlike any of them other than Cole during his piano combo days and maybe Barber — almost like Betty Carter, come to think of it — Kurt directs the energy of his group from within it. He sets up and, after making a <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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from left: Stu Minderman, Clark Sommer, Kurt Elling, Dana Hall, John McLean \u00c2\u00a9 Marc PoKempner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

definitive statement, passes his musical ball to lyrical pianist Stu Minderman or unusually telegraphic guitarist John McLean as if by impulse rather than pre-arrangement, with bassist Clark Sommers solid, alert, flexible and pairing well with drummer Dana Hall’s assertive push. They cohere as an ensemble, so the music flows. This band was ending a two-week tour, yet everyone appeared to be fully engaged, refreshed by being onstage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Their onstage teamwork, clear to see as well as hear, drew me into the holiday vibe. Never mind being a committed secularist, cynical about virgin births, uneasy about imposition of any public religious celebration on the entire body politic, believers or not — I realize this is America! As long as I’ve been alive Christmas has been an uncontrolled cultural behemoth, a day draped in a ancient, holy story actually advancing consumer capitalism. As a Jewish kid, I reasoned why fight it? Well, that manger stuff. And, uh, Hanukah. But ok, then, also Yule, Saturnalia, Festivus, Kwanza, Diwali. I’ve come to accept if not embrace all humanity’s collective reactions to the sun withdrawing, and hopes for its return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Kurt Elling sang “We Three Kings” and with Hall worked the miracle of turning the odious “Little Drummer Boy” into a driving scat-drums duet, the focus of his message was not Jesus’s arrival but the world’s annual experience of rebirth, with a particular appeal to the clear-eyed spirit of children which, he assured us, we all still contain. No “Silent Night,” though he did enact a “T’was the night before Christmas” parody, and for an encore — yes, “The Christmas Song” (aka, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. . . ” words by Torm\u00c3\u00a9, music by Robert Wells, n\u00c3\u00a9e Levinson — and yes, Kurt mentioned that in his research for popular Christmas songshe’d been struck by how many were written by Jews, Communists and Jewish Communists. As his father was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church, that seems like a nice ecumenical acknowledgement). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other dependable confluence of so-called “holiday music” with music that has actually brings a smile to my wintry mind is saxophonist Mars Williams<\/a>‘ inspired Ayler Christmas program, the Chicago manifestation, held again<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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