Country : United States Label : Edition Genres and styles : Jazz / Vocal Jazz Year : 2020

Secrets Are the Best Stories

· by Steve Naud

Over the years, jazz singer Kurt Elling has gained in depth. In 2018, the foul odour emanating from the White House had pushed him to deal with more political issues on The Question. With Secrets Are the Best Stories, he takes it one step further as he tackles issues such as the environment, immigration, racism and human rights in general. Rejecting simplistic reasoning, he confronts these themes through poetry and philosophy.

Elling says he’s found in the Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez an artistic partner who shares his sensitivity and concern about the state of the world. The songs that the two men have created together take time to breathe in one breath. Whether it is Pérez’s expressive playing, the inventive interventions of drummer Jonathan Blake, or Elling’s silky vocals, every sound detail that surfaces from the silence gleams like a star in the night.

In terms of music, Pérez wrote most of the compositions. They are accompanied by pieces by Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, and Vince Mendoza, to which Elling has added his own lyrics. The latter also sings the words of authors Toni Morrison, Robert Bly, and Franz Wright. Two of the pieces in this impeccable collection won’t leave the listener unscathed: “Beloved”, in which Elling borrows the words of abolitionist poet Frances E.W. Harper, supported by a band at the height of its intensity, and “Song of the Rio Grande”, an indictment of Donald Trump’s border policies punctuated by the pounding of Pérez’s prepared piano.

Latest 360 Content

Montreal Anti Jazz Police Festival – Day 2

Montreal Anti Jazz Police Festival – Day 2

Shaina Hayes and her Kindergarten Heart

Shaina Hayes and her Kindergarten Heart

David Binney – In The Arms Of Light

David Binney – In The Arms Of Light

Chauffeur et Parlak – “The Napoli Run”

Chauffeur et Parlak – “The Napoli Run”

Arlo Parks’ infectious, festive melancholy at the Beanfield.

Arlo Parks’ infectious, festive melancholy at the Beanfield.

Charles Lloyd – The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow

Charles Lloyd – The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow

Montreal Anti-Jazz Police Festival at URSA – Day 1

Montreal Anti-Jazz Police Festival at URSA – Day 1

Piano Symphonique | Julia Mirzoev, Braden McConnell & Antoine Rivard-Landry

Piano Symphonique | Julia Mirzoev, Braden McConnell & Antoine Rivard-Landry

Single of the Day: Magick Brother & Mystic Sister “The Hierophant”

Single of the Day: Magick Brother & Mystic Sister “The Hierophant”

The Bolokos – feat. Fanswa Ladrezeau – Kouté Pou Tann

The Bolokos – feat. Fanswa Ladrezeau – Kouté Pou Tann

Real Farmer – Compare What’s There

Real Farmer – Compare What’s There

Simon Leoza – ACTE III

Simon Leoza – ACTE III

Opera McGill Presents Semele: An Ambitious Evening with the Gods

Opera McGill Presents Semele: An Ambitious Evening with the Gods

In Pursuit Of Repetitive Beats Experience Strives for Human Connection through VR

In Pursuit Of Repetitive Beats Experience Strives for Human Connection through VR

Daymé Arocena – Alkemi

Daymé Arocena – Alkemi

Extra Time – Where Is The Light

Extra Time – Where Is The Light

Martha Wainwright about her new jazz festival

Martha Wainwright about her new jazz festival

Félix Dubé Trio – Impermanence

Félix Dubé Trio – Impermanence

Thomas Dybdahl – Teenage Astronauts

Thomas Dybdahl – Teenage Astronauts

Buzhold – What It Meant?

Buzhold – What It Meant?

Yoo Doo Right – The Sacred Fuck EP

Yoo Doo Right – The Sacred Fuck EP

Residente – Las Letras Ya No Importan

Residente – Las Letras Ya No Importan

Subscribe to our newsletter