SuperBlue

Vocalist Kurt Elling keeps revealing new facets and capabilities on the heels of inspired outings with Danilo Perez, Branford Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, and others. On *SuperBlue*, he reunites with guitarist and former Blue Note labelmate Charlie Hunter, whose eight-string hybrid guitar remains utterly distinctive, funky, and modern, able to cover bass and chordal functions at once. Drummer Corey Fonville and bassist/keyboardist DJ Harrison, both from Butcher Brown, deepen the grooves and fill out the sonic space. Elling, a Chicago bebopper at heart, heir to a vocalese tradition embodied by the late Jon Hendricks, always manages to channel his roots while casting the widest stylistic net, as is true of this electric soul-jazz collaboration (made remotely due to COVID). The new, cowritten songs capture Elling’s bluesy theatricality, and the readings of Carla Bley’s “Lawns” (“Endless Lawns”), Tom Waits’ “Circus,” The Roots & Cody ChesnuTT’s “The Seed,” and Wayne Shorter’s “Aung San Suu Kyi” (“Where to Find It”) bristle with contemporary flavor.

A collaboration with guitarist Charlie Hunter, SuperBlue finds vocalist Kurt Elling exploring a sophisticated funk and soul sound.