Kurt Elling & WDR Big Band, In the Brass Palace Review

by Jeff Becker

Within In the Brass Palace, Kurt Elling and the WDR Big Band merge voice with orchestra to construct a collection of enjoyable selections. Elling is confident in fronting a big band, and together they form a coordinated performance experience across styles and eras.

From the outset, this integration is unmistakable. “Steppin’ Out” puts Elling’s voice embedded within the ensemble’s motion. The opening ensemble hits are articulated with precision, their energy laying the groundwork for Elling’s entrance. As for Elling’s solo, his scatting evolves organically from the ensemble’s momentum, adopting horn-like phrasing that aligns with sectional articulation. When the tenor saxophone (Paul Heller) takes over, the solo energy builds within the same momentum. The drum feature (Hans Dekker) flows with melodic and structural patterns heard in the arrangement. This demonstrates how the music is designed as a continuous pathway for vocalist and instrumentalist alike.

This principle extends into “Desire,” where Bob Mintzer’s arrangement has layered sectional interplay.. The voice is woven into a network of brass and reed responses, particularly in the muted brass passages that reshape the ensemble’s tonal frame. Elling’s vocal line is refracted through shifting textures, with the orchestration actively supporting its perceptual clarity. The result is a fluid balance where the voice remains legible without requiring dominance.

“My Very Own Ride” introduces a new feel. The gospel-funk foundation locks the rhythm section and vocal delivery into a shared pocket, with Elling’s vocalese mirroring the rhythmic asymmetries of John Scofield’s writing. Elling’s vocalese functions as recompositional material embedded within the ensemble’s color. The shout chorus amplifies this effect, expanding the ensemble’s fullness while maintaining coordination across rhythmic subdivisions. The tenor saxophone feature (Ben Fitzpatrick) continues the groove logic established by the voice, reinforcing the sense of continuity across the performance.

Ballad territory reveals a different dimension of the vocal-led big band. In “I Like the Sunrise,” orchestration becomes the primary color in supporting how the voice is perceived. The gradual expansion of brass and saxophone color creates a harmonic environment that supports Elling’s sustained upper-register lines. This is particularly effective at the climactic peak where the ensemble’s motion underpins a single held tone by Elling. The flugelhorn feature (Andy Haderer) emerges from this texture to give another expressive coloring in the ballad style. The rubato ending underscores the role of conductor-shaped phrasing, with Mintzer guiding the ensemble through flexibility. This cohesion keeps the performance intact even as meter dissolves.

“They Speak No Evil” presents perhaps the most explicit example of vocalese as structural integration. Elling’s adaptation of Wayne Shorter’s solo is a feature of his vocal skill. Positioned within a broader arc that includes a rising B section, a trombone solo (Andy Hunter), and a lively shout chorus, the vocalese becomes one of several interlocking modules. Each section contributes to the build. The shout chorus, dense and tightly voiced, functions as a system-wide intensification before resolving into a controlled cadence.

The closing “Current Affairs” shifts the focus toward orchestration as a dynamic continuum. Beginning with a restrained woodwind texture, the arrangement gradually expands through muted brass into a fuller, brighter ensemble sound. Elling’s vocal line is shaped within this evolving frame, his sustained tones and vibrato interacting with the ensemble’s changing moods. Mintzer’s tenor solo is lyrical and organic in flow. The subsequent trumpet feature (Ruud Breuls) emerges directly from the vocal’s sustained low register. This exemplifies how entries are managed as extensions of preceding material. Throughout, conductor-shaped phrasing ensures that each expansion and contraction of texture remains coordinated naturally.

In the Brass Palace is an enjoyable collection of voice-led arrangements performed with authority and heart. The degree to which these elements function creates a unified experience. Elling’s voice, the WDR Big Band’s playing, and the contributions of arrangers and soloists are all subsumed into an entertaining program flow. The sonic palace Elling describes is not a metaphor; it is a structural reality built through a continuous negotiation of musical roles. In the Brass Palace, a modern big band and voice are conceived as coequal forces within a single, evolving program.