Edition
Kurt Elling - Secrets Are The Best Stories - Import CD
Kurt Elling - Secrets Are The Best Stories - Import CD
CD
Jazz
Vocal Jazz
April 3, 2020
Will usually ship within 1~5 business days of receiving cleared payment.
Couldn't load pickup availability
Catalog No.: EDTR11512
JAN/ISBN: 5060509790913
Number of Discs: 1
Country/Region of Manufacture: Import
Credits:
Kurt Elling
Description:
When Kurt Elling released The Questions in 2018, he pushed his own boundaries by framing the jazz song as an inquiry into modern political, social, and philosophical topics. On Secrets Are the Best Stories, Elling, in a new musical partnership with pianist and composer Danilo Perez and other musicians, approaches a new frontier for exploring the implied, the hidden, the dark, and the edgy in songs that elucidate a bold creative metier. Elling adds lyrics to compositions by Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Vince Mendoza, and Perez. Alongside them, the singer adapts the words, concepts, and spirits of contemporary writers including Nobel-winning Toni Morrison, poets Franz Wright and Robert Bly, and the 19th-century abolitionist poet/polemicist Frances E. W. Harper. This outing is a platform for Elling to eloquently and elegantly discourse on human rights, immigration, isolation, climate change, and more. His writing for this project is unusually probing; he examines everything from spiritual darkness and lifes mysteries to racism, alienation, gratitude, reflection, and intimacy. The Fanfold Hawk (For Franz Wright) is set to a lithe melody as Elling plays off his only accompaniment, Clark Sommers upright bass. Perez joins Elling, Sommers, and percussionists Rogerio Boccato and Roman Diaz in a new arrangement of Jaco Pastorius A Certain Continnum, transforming it into a mystical meditation (…There’s a ribbon/In the river/That is running through your heart/Restart/Be your own work of art…) inside a post-bop frame that recalls the bassists work on Joni Mitchells Mingus. Gratitude (For Robert Bly) begins as a grainy duo with Perez that reflects the poets intellectual, critical, and creative processes. When Sommers and Boccato enter, the tune opens onto a rhythmic and harmonic universe that embraces modern jazz and Panamanian folk music. Alto sax great Miguel Zenon joins the band on Beloved (For Tony Morrison), an open, borderline abstract jam that touches on modal and free jazz as well as an Asian folk form or two. It is among the albums most startling moments. The composition Stays was penned by Wayne Shorter -- whose quartet includes Perez -- with lyrics by Elling. It offers a narrative of a touring musicians near-encounters with a frightened elderly neighbor. The old man peeks out his door whenever the musician returns, only to hide within...until a tragedy reveals his reason. Song of the Rio Grande (For Oscar and Valeria Martinez-Ramirez)” is an indictment of the U.S. immigration system. While it begins with the optimism of his open heart (I start from the heart. And my heart goes to compassion) Ellings protagonist concludes in disgust, observing that, America/has lost its mind. Perezs prepared piano underscores the contradiction in the most poignant tune here. Elling also revisits Esperanto, a tune he cut in 1999. Its melody was penned by the legendary Mendoza. Elling, Perez, and their collaborators (including guitarist Chico Pinheiro) uncloak a mystical lyric worthy of Allen Ginsberg. Secrets Are the Best Stories is a collaboration that delivers deep messages with bracing new music and makes a profound step toward reframing the possibilities of vocal jazz. ~ Thom Jurek
Tracklisting:
1.The Fanfold Hawk [For Franz Wright]
2.A Certain Continuum
3.Stays
4.Gratitude [For Robert Bly]
5.Stage I
6.Beloved [For Toni Morrison]
7.Stages II, III
8.Song of the Rio Grande [For Oscar and Valeria Martinez-Ramirez]
9.Rabo de Nube
10.Esperanto
11.Epilogo
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
**Shipping Carriers**
We ship all orders via **Japan Post**, **DHL**, or **FedEx**, depending on the destination and shipping method selected at checkout.
---
**Delivery Time**
- **In-stock items**: Orders are processed and shipped within **51 to 5 business days or 5 to 30 business days** from the date of purchase.
- **Pre-orders**: Items will be shipped within **7 business days** after the official release date.
- **Special order items**: Delivery may be delayed depending on the supplier's stock status. We will contact you if delays exceed the estimated timeframe.
Please note: Delivery times may vary due to customs clearance, weather conditions, postal delays, and holidays. Thank you for your understanding.
---
**Shipping Costs**
Shipping costs are calculated automatically at checkout using our shipping rate calculator. Final shipping charges depend on your destination and the total weight of your order.
We currently offer **international shipping** to most countries.
---
**Returnsv**
We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, the product must be unused, unopened (i.e., shrink wrap or manufacturer seal must be intact), and in the same condition as when you received it, including the original packaging.
Customers are responsible for return shipping costs unless the return is due to our error (e.g., defective, damaged, or incorrect item). Please note that we are unable to refund the original shipping charges.
To initiate a return, please contact us at ruryaam@gmail.com. If your return is accepted, we’ll provide you with a return shipping label and detailed instructions. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.
You can always contact us for any return-related questions at ruryaam@gmail.com.
---
**Damages and Issues**
Please inspect your order upon delivery and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged, or incorrect. We will work quickly to resolve the issue.
Return Address: Rury Art & Music Inc., 2-3-3 Minamikoiwa, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan 133-0056
(Please contact us before sending any items.)
---
**Non-returnable Items**
Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns for items on sale or gift cards.
---
**Exchanges**
To exchange an item, we recommend returning the original item and placing a new order separately after the return is accepted.
---
**Refunds**
Once we receive and inspect your returned item, we will notify you of the approval status. If approved, your refund will be processed to your original payment method within 5–10 business days. Please note that your bank or credit card provider may take additional time to post the refund to your account.
