Kurt Elling and his Quartet will appear at the Folly on Friday, December 14. Combining thought-provoking lyrics with creative arrangements and an infinite capacity to swing, Elling has forged a potent body of work since his 1995 debut that is marked by quality, consistency and an audacious sense of risk-taking. His quartet has toured the world, performing to critical acclaim in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Asia and Australia , and at jazz festivals and concert halls across the North America . The San Francisco Chronicle called Elling “the most flamboyantly creative jazz singer to emerge in the last decade.”

One of Elling's major contributions is as a writer and performer of vocalese, the art of putting words to improvised solos of jazz artists. The natural heir to jazz pioneers Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, and Jon Hendricks, Elling has set solos of Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, Dexter Gordon, Pat Metheny, and others to his own deeply spiritual and compelling lyrics, an approach that reminds us of the beauty of the original music and opens us up to a fresh vision. Elling infuses his lyrics with passion, humor, and emotional depth, often incorporating images and references from writers such as Rilke, Proust, Kerouac, Rumi, Neruda and Kenneth Rexroth into his work.

On Nightmoves , his brilliant debut for Concord Records and seventh outing overall, Elling artfully blends his rich baritone voice with signature scatting and virtuosic vocalese in a wide-ranging repertoire of tunes associated with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Irving Berlin, Betty Carter, Duke Ellington, Dexter Gordon and Keith Jarrett. This milestone release follows a ten year stretch that saw Elling earn seven Grammy nominations for six Blue Note albums, six consecutive years at the top of the Down Beat Critics and Jazz Times Readers' polls, three Jazz Journalists' Association Awards for Best Male Vocalist and the Prix Billie Holiday from the Academie du Jazz in Paris.

In addition to working with his own quartet, Kurt Elling has spent recording and/or performing time with an array of artists that includes Terrence Blanchard, Dave Brubeck, The Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra, Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter, Al Jarreau, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, Marian McPartland, The Bob Mintzer Big Band, Mark Murphy, John Pizzarelli, and The Yellowjackets. He has written multidisciplinary works of art for The Steppenwolf Theater and for the City of Chicago . Moreover, Kurt Elling is a former National Trustee and National Vice Chair of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammys) and was artist-in-residence for the Monterey Jazz Festival's 2006 season.

Grammy-nominated Latin percussionist Bobby Sanabria will bring his stellar Latin Jazz Nonet, Ascensión , to the Folly stage on Saturday, January 12. The New York-based Sanabria has performed with such legendary figures as Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, Mongo Santamaria, Chico O'Farrill, and Mario Bauza. In particular, Bobby carries on the legacy of Tito Puente, who served as his inspiration and mentor.

Sanabria has been featured on numerous Grammy-nominated albums, including The Mambo Kings and other movie soundtracks, and numerous television and radio jingles. His most critically praised work has been with the famed Mario Bauza and his Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra. With them he has recorded three Grammy nominated CDs, considered to be the definitive works of the Afro-Cuban big-band jazz tradition. He was also prominently featured in several PBS documentaries about Bauza and Mongo Santamaria.

Bobby was the subject of a feature article in the July 2007 issue of Down Beat, providing the broader national exposure that he richly deserves. Bobby's latest recording, Big Band Urban Folktales (Jazzheads) has received critical acclaim. Writing in the New York Times, Ben Ratliff stated, “ It's New York up and down, and back and forth across the last century, from the street to the mambo palaces...” Website: www.bobbysanabria.com

Regular single tickets range from $15 - $30, and members of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors receive special discounts. For more information, call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444 or visit our website: www.follytheater.com.

Doug Tatum is the Executive Director of the Folly Theater

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