Kurt Elling appeared at Hancher on January 24th with Ernie Watts, the Laurence Hobgood Trio, and ETHEL. We asked the audience to tell us about their experience. Here is what we heard back.
Was blown away at the Kurt Elling concert! Excellent performers, selections, compositions, and presentation. It was totally worth braving the cold to attend.
Mike Hazell
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Great show, he is the consummate entertainer and singer. The band and whole ensemble was top notch. I just wish he and the band would have kept on singing & playing all nite.
David Hesli
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The concert was awesome.Sound and lights well done too.Seats are a little small for obese Americans but hey we should go on a diet.nice touch that the ushers wore ties!
RDO
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Kewl although it took a while for his chops to warm up!
Sherwood
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I first saw Kurt perform in Davenport at the Capitol Theater about five years ago where I sat in awe at perhaps the greatest singing talent I had ever heard. Later, I was nearly speechless when trying to relate to others what I had witnessed go down that night. What stood out most in my mind though was the recurring question I pondered between every number: "How does anybody get their voice to sound like that?" Well, he has simply been given a rare gift from God, and has glorified the creator by his unquenchable desire to take it where few others have gone. I have collected in excess of 100,000 different phonograph records, mostly from the late 40's to the early 60's and I like to think I have explored the relms and renditions of the best singers ever put to vinyl. Mr. Elling is truly in a class by himself today, and must be experienced in person to be believed. With that said, let me add that I would be disappointed if he weren't supported by arranger Laurence Hobgood, who I am sure stokes the Elling fire. Like Elling, Hobgood's talents go relatively unnoticed in today's pop culture, which is consumed by the mindless listeners of Top 10 radio. However, I'm sure neither of them care to be the background noise heard in the aisles of the local Wal-Mart. The concert Saturday rivalled the first I saw by Elling. Although I knew what to expect, it held me spellbound from start to finish. His supporting cast of Ernie Watts, Clark Summers, Ulysses Owens, and the string quartet "Ethel," added to the magic of an evening with Elling I didn't think could be improved upon. It was like getting two, three or more concerts in one. And from the pluck of that first string to the final fading note, I savored every drop, like a kid with a thick chocolate ice cream shake with a cherry on top, sad at the final sound of that last slurp, that it didn't come in a larger size.
Doug Smith
Davenport, IA
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We were very disappointed in the concert. This is the second one this season that has been a disappointment. The quality of Mr. Ellings voice was very irritating at first. It did mellow about 6 pieces into the concert. If it hadn't been for having very good musicians with him, we may have left before the end of the concert. We were also annoyed with the house lights being on the entire concert. We understood from the usher that was the request of the artist. It was difficult to see, since we were at the balcony level and the lights were shining into our eyes.
I am hoping for our last concert to be a better experience. It was not the venue, that is fine - just the quality of the performers.
Thanks, Dawn
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First let me say that I enjoyed the concert. It was a little cramp on stage for all of the members and it is not Hancher for the sound. I had the luck to be in the first row and could really see the musicians apply their craft. I thought the show was short, or maybe it was I just wanted it to go on and on. The point should also be made that I love this type of jazz and starved for it. This may make me a bit more positive than others.
My wife and I have been going to Hancher for years. We pick things we like and sometimes things we just need to experience. Personally I loved the Lincoln Jazz last year and very disappointed that our Physics/Math Geek night was canceled, Spamalot. We will overcome this disaster and we will have the wonderful grand Hancher back soon.
Glen Fessenden
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I was so bummed to know that I was going to miss Kurt Elling at Hancher. I've been following this amazing creative talent since I saw him in Davenport years ago...he came with Lawrence to do some art workshops for the quad cities schools. What a voice, what a writer, what an arranger. How was the show?
Lisa Baum
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Hi Hancher Folks!
My friend Betty and I attended the Kurt Elling performance the other night. It was sooooo cold outside, I think 2 degrees, but we made it anyway. And we were glad we did make it!
Kurt Elling is an amazing singer! And his backup musicians were wonderful. The Englert seemed like an appropriate place to handle the concert. Small enough, big enough, just right. The sound was good. I would attend a performance of his again. What I would MOST like would be for him to sing the standard old ballads, the well-known ones. I was only familiar with one of the songs he sang the other night. And with that one, I could notice what he did vocally to play with the song. But if he sang ALL songs that I know, then I could really appreciate his particular rendition. See what you can do, OK?
Sincerely,
Ceci Balmer
Fairfield, Iowa
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The Kurt Elling concert will go down in my concert book as one of the best jazz/concert experiences I have had anywhere, and I've had a fair share of them! I especially liked the Englert as an alternate venue. It was a warm and intimate experience and the seating and sound were top shelf. The performance was truly remarkable and unique in terms of the performers (Ernie Watts on Tenor Sax, Clark Sommers on Bass and Ulysses Owens on drums) and the arrangements by pianist Lawrence Hobgood. Elling was stellar in his interpretation of these jazz "standards" and tribute to the two "Johns" (Coltrane and Hartman). And as I said to him after the show, "Every tune was a favorite!" The addition of a string quartet (ETHEL) was nothing less than brilliant.
Thanks for a great concert and good luck getting the Hancher act back together,
Nick George
Cedar Rapids
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The concert was great! Thanks for inviting them to Iowa City.
Marina and Yuriy Usachev
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I've been a fan of Kurt Elling and Laurence Hobgood for only a couple years now, but I've had the chance to see them perform twice. The recent show at the Englert was wonderful. Hobgood's arrangements were, as usual, inventive and articulate, and Kurt's vocals ran the register so deftly that at times I felt like my brain was spinning in my head like a top. Ernie Watts absolutely shredded on sax, and the inclusion of Ethel's strings in the ensemble was simply inspired. I found myself quietly thanking Hancher a couple times during the evening for bringing such a class act to Iowa City. We need more Kurt!
Thank you!
Mark
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It's so hard to find quality VOCAL jazz in the area. Being from Seattle I've had the opportunity to hear many jazz vocalists and it's nice to see that starting in Iowa. As a teacher of two jazz choirs it's also nice to have an opportunity for my students to learn and enjoy the art they are trying to craft!
Joel