Kurt Elling, the owner of a remarkable four-octave voice and astounding improvisational chops, is regarded by his peers as the ultimate jazz vocalist.
Now he is on tour to introduce "The Gate," his latest album that soars to heretofore improbable levels of jazz vocalese.
He is joined by his band headed by his long-time pianist and music director Laurence Hobgood, with John McLean on guitar, Harish Raghavan on bass and Ulysses Owens on drums.
Even before it is released, there is considerable buzz about the album's content, a collection of numbers performed with audible ease no matter that the virtuosity employed surpasses the comfort zone of most musicians.
Elling and Hobgood have been a team for more than fifteen years because of a similar desire to play something that they - or nobody - has ever played before.
He points out that their goal is expressly about trying to capture honest sounds in the ether that are not barred by history or preconceptions.
Every time Elling makes a record, he has a new set of tasks in mind.
Because all his musicians are of top caliber, he is compelled to step up his game and rise into a new space so that each album and each live performance exceeds past accomplishments.
During a live performance, he is essentially a composer, taking command of his technique and breathing in a healthy way.
Elling's journey to the top of his field began in Illinois as the son of a Lutheran church Kapellmeister.
He devoted his early years to singing classical music in church and school choirs before his introduction during college to Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Ella Fitzgerald and the existing stable of jazz cats.
During his graduate studies in the philosophy of religion, he began singing in Chicago clubs and soon perfected his style of improvisation.
Just short of graduation, he committed his life to singing jazz.
Today Elling is so admired by jazz critics that he has captured their awards year after year.
He won the Down Beat Critics Poll eleven times, the Jazz Journalists Association Male Singer of the Year Award six times, and this year received the Nightlife Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist in a Major Engagement.
After eight nominations, he earned the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
The winning album, "Dedicated to You," was inspired by the classic 1963 recording "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman" featuring the legendary sax player and jazz vocalist.