Photo: Palma Kolansky / Attribution (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kurt Elling interests me because his path runs through a Lutheran church and a divinity school before it ever reaches a jazz stage. You can hear that, I think: a singer who treats lyrics with the weight of text and gives his voice a searching, almost liturgical depth. Titles like Close Your Eyes and The Messenger hint at someone after meaning, not just polish. There's a seriousness to him that I genuinely enjoy, the sense of a vocalist who studied ideas as hard as melody. He strikes me as a craftsman using jazz to ask questions, and that earns my respect.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kurt Elling
- Name (Japanese)
- カート・エリング
- Reading
- かーと・えりんぐ
- Born
- November 2, 1967 (age 58)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Goat
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Occupation
- singer / songwriter / composer / jazz musician / musician
2. Background
- High school
- Rockford Lutheran High School
- University
- University of Chicago Divinity School
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Close Your Eyes | — | |
| Notable work | The Messenger | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.kurtelling.com/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0
Frequently asked questions
When was Kurt Elling born?
Born November 2, 1967 (age 58).
Where is Kurt Elling from?
Kurt Elling is from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What does Kurt Elling do?
Kurt Elling works as singer, songwriter, composer, jazz musician, musician.
What is Kurt Elling known for?
Notable works include Close Your Eyes, The Messenger.
Singer — see all → · Songwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.