Live in Chicago (Kurt Elling album)

Live in Chicago is a 1999 live album by jazz vocalist Kurt Elling. It was Elling's first live album, recorded over two nights in 1999 at Chicago's Green Mill jazz club.[2] As musical guest appears jazz singer Jon Hendricks on two tracks, "Don't Get Scared" and "Goin' to Chicago", which Hendricks announces himself. Three tenor saxophonists, Von Freeman, Ed Petersen and Eddie Johnson, at once Elling invites on the stage for "The Rent Party", introducing the musicians over five minutes by improvising descriptions of their sound and personality with each one respectively responding to his words. On two further tracks percussionist Kahil El'Zabar is featured.

Live in Chicago
Live album by Kurt Elling
Released	1999
Recorded	July 14–16, 1999
Venue	Green Mill, Chicago
Genre	Vocal jazz
Length	71:10
Label	Blue Note
Producer	Laurence Hobgood, Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling chronology
This Time it's Love (1998) Live in Chicago (1999) Flirting with Twilight (2001)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Live in Chicago received a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, the fourth nomination in a row since Elling's debut.[3]

Track listing

1. "Downtown" (Russell Ferrante) – 3:50
2. "My Foolish Heart" (Victor Young, Ned Washington) – 12:17
3. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) – 8:29
4. "Oh My God" (Sting) – 3:51
5. "Night Dreamer" (Wayne Shorter, Kurt Elling) – 9:00
6. "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" (William Best, Deek Watson) – 5:19
7. Intro to "Esperanto" – 1:44
8. "Esperanto" (Vince Mendoza, Elling) – 5:16
9. "Don't Get Scared" (Stan Getz, King Pleasure, Jon Hendricks) – 5:15
10. Intro to "Goin' to Chicago" – 3:39
11. "Goin' to Chicago" (Traditional) – 8:19
12. Intro to "The Rent Party" – 0:44
13. "The Rent Party" (Ed Petersen, Elling) – 5:39
14. "Blues Chaser" (Rob Amster, Elling, Laurence Hobgood, Michael Raynor) – 1:28

Out Takes Album (2000)

1. "Resolution" (John Coltrane, Elling) – 7:18
2. "What I Meant to Say Was..." (Hobgood) – 4:53
3. "Moon and Sand (Inspired by Keith Jarrett)" (Alec Wilder, Morty Palitz, William Engvick) – 6:44
4. "Dolores Dream" (Shorter, Elling – Including: "An Extemporaneous Prolegomenon to Any Future Extraneous Thought on the Subject of Mirrors" by Elling) – 16:35
5. "Renaissance of the Resistance" (Kahil El'Zabar) – 6:34

Bonus track

6. "Senor Blues 2000 (The Alien Version)" studio recording (Horace Silver, Bill Henderson) - 4:23

Personnel

• Kurt Elling - vocals
• Laurence Hobgood - piano
• Rob Amster - acoustic bass
• Michael Raynor - drums, percussion (track 4)

Featured guest artists

• Kahil El'Zabar - hand drums (4), percussion and voice (Outakes 5)
• Jon Hendricks - vocals (9-11)
• Von Freeman, Ed Petersen, Eddie Johnson - tenor saxophone (13)

For Outtakes bonus studio track

• Kurt Elling and Tess Marsalis - voices (Outakes 6)
• Matthew Backer - all other sounds, arranger and producer
• Eddie Krakaur - recording and mixing (2 Ton Sound, New York)

Production

• Laurence Hobgood and Kurt Elling - producer
• Fran Allen Leake - production assistant
• Danny Leake - recording engineer, mixing and mastering
• Tim Powell - recording assistant
• Steve Johnson - mixing and mastering assistant

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Live in Chicago at AllMusic
3. Kurt Elling on Grammy homepage.