Wildflowers Vol. 1 (Edition)
Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner
Released August 30, 2024
Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album 2025
JazzTimes 2024 Year in Review
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About:
One of the most influential and innovative vocalists in jazz, Kurt Elling, presents Wildflowers, Vol. 1—a brand new, spur-of-the-moment album created in the moment with pianist Sullivan Fortner, and featuring the remarkable Cécile McLorin Salvant.
Kurt Elling is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative vocalists in the global jazz scene. Renowned for his rich baritone voice and his ability to seamlessly merge jazz tradition with modern sensibilities, Elling has carved out a distinctive place within the genre. His artistry is marked by a fearless approach to improvisation, spellbinding virtuosity, and a profound connection to the lyrical narratives he brings to life.
His latest album, Wildflowers, Vol. 1, is a spontaneous and inspired exploration of creativity and collaboration, featuring the masterful pianist Sullivan Fortner. Known for his willingness to venture into the unexpected, Elling continues to push the boundaries of jazz with this intimate, unscripted piano-vocal session. Following a series of Grammy-nominated recordings with the funky, jazz-adjacent SuperBlue, Elling felt compelled to explore a more stripped-down and organic sound, resulting in an album that is both vibrant and warmly resonant.
Track Listing:
1. Paper Doll (Johnny S. Black) 4:34
2. A Memory Of Enchantment (Kurt Elling / Michiel Borstlap) 7:53
3. After The Storm (Ben Lovett / Marcus Mumford / Ted Dwane / Winston Marshall) 4:52
4. A Wish (Valentine) (Norma Winstone / Fred Hersch) feat. Cécile McLorin Salvant 3:34
5. Things Ain’t What They Used To Be (Jon Hendricks / Mercer Ellington) 4:42
6. Ana Maria’s Song (Ana Maria) (Wayne Shorter) 6:27
Personnel:
Kurt Elling: vocals
Sullivan Fortner: piano
Recorded August 26th 2024 at Sear Sound Studio C, New York, NY
Produced by Kurt Elling
Co-Produced by Sullivan Fortner, Bryan Farina, & Chris Allen
Executive Producer: Dave Stapleton
Production Associate: Jesse Markowitz
Recorded, Mixed, & Mastered by Chris Allen
Assistant Engineer: Steven Sacco
Second Assistant Engineer: Maximilian Troppe
Review:
Keeping up with Kurt Elling’s output has turned into a full-time gig in recent years, and while I’ve loved his SuperBlue funk excursions with Charlie Hunter, his Wildflowers (Edition) project hits a sweet spot where pop, jazz and art songs converge. Both volumes are more EPs than albums, and while Vol. 2 with Joey Calderazzo is gorgeous I’ve been more fascinated by Vol. 1, which toggles between the sincerely strange, like the opening World War I-era “Paper Doll,” a song previously owned by the Mills Brothers, through the strangely sincere Mumford & Sons’ “After the Storm.” Pianist Sullivan Fortner shines throughout, with a particularly soft touch on Elling’s duet with Cécile McLorin Salvant, the pianist’s primary creative partner, on Fred Hersch’s and Norma Winston’s “A Wish (Valentine).” His insistent three-note figure levitating the closer, Tessa Souter’s (and Elling’s) setting for Wayne Shorter’s “Ana Maria,” is a perilous field that Elling traverses with grace.
Andrew Gilbert (JazzTimes)
