The Messenger is the second studio album by Kurt Elling.[1] Like Close Your Eyes (and the following) the album was released by Blue Note, the production credits lie with pianist Laurence Hobgood, Elling himself and drummer Paul Wertico as co-producer. Hobgood, bassist Rob Amster and Wertico are co-billed on the album cover, establishing the piano trio –led by Hobgood up to 1619 Broadway from 2012– as the singers core backing. Amster and Wertico are nevertheless replaced on some tracks by Eric Hochberg (already known from Close Your Eyes) and percussionist Jim Widlowski. A further voice is added on half of the tracks, trumpet player Orbert Davis, tenor saxophonists Edward Petersen or Eddie Johnson, and on one track literally, with Cassandra Wilson on "Time of the Season". On this song and part of the so-called 'Suite' one can also hear a guitarist, who unfortunately is not mentioned in the album credits.[2] Besides The Zombies 1967 hit The Messenger introduces "Nature Boy" to Ellings' repertoire, two further jazz standards, an interpretation of Jimmy Heath' "Gingerbread Boy", played even more aggressive and faster as Miles Davis (on Miles Smiles), and "Tanya" (here named "Tanya Jean" ) written by Donald Byrd, who recorded the tune only once in 1964 for Dexter Gordon's album One Flight Up. The song is informed by an ostinato of moody open chords played on piano (evocating the John Coltrane Quartet) resolved occasionally by a rather conventional hard bop theme. All other tracks are penned by the musicians themselves or even improvised like "It's Just a Thing" accompanying a story Elling declaims.
The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album four stars, and described it as "one of the most interesting jazz vocal sets to be released in 1997...Elling covers a wide range of music, continually taking chances and coming up with fresh approaches...This rewarding and continually intriguing set is particularly recommended to listeners who feel that jazz singing has not progressed much beyond bop"[1]
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