Kurt Elling Visits Berklee

By Toni Ballard
(April 13, 2000)

Accompanied by pianist Laurence Hobgood, Elling began the clinic with a performance, immediately showcasing the pinpoint intonation and innovative scatting that have won him three Grammy nominations.

Elling next launched into a theory stating that music is best made by thinking in physical terms that one might not typically apply to music. He urged students to strive to create shapes in music. After talking about shapes of melodies, Elling defined music as gestures in motion that possess velocity. He said he doesn't sing anything that he can't also gesture, with his hands or his body, and that each phrase should finish gracefully, like a dancer's motion.

Elling encouraged students to "slow down, practice tunes at a slower tempo, and digest smaller amounts of information more completely." He said the biggest mistake a lot of young musicians make is to expect to play (or sing) at their peak too soon. "You're supposed to live IN time, not ON time." He described the study of music as a long process and detailed his practice methods using a tape or computer to repeatedly practice over the same chord changes or bass lines.

Elling talked about how he uses both the logical and intuitive sides of his brain to hone his improvisational skills. Using his intuitive, or "unconscious" mind, he "lets it happen," not judging himself, but merely singing whatever comes out. "This keeps you from becoming a technician," he said. After such a performance, he listens to a tape of what he's sung, and uses logic to help him differentiate the good moments from parts that need improvement, and then he figures out lines that would work better.

Pianist Laurence Hobgood spoke of the important of communicating with the audience, saying that nervousness can be intepreted as selfishness – energy coming from the audience to you. "Performing should be energy flowing out – going TO the audience, channeling something bigger than yourself."

Three brave student vocalists had the opportunity to work with Elling on stage, first singing a song, then singing it again using Elling's directions to gesture with their hands and bodies.

Elling passed on a helpful hint for staying healthy on the road: use hand sanitizer lotion after shaking hands with scores of people at a gig. He ended the clinic by strongly recommending that the students write a lot of tunes and get in the habit of writing down all of their ideas. "Everybody in this room is smarter than the people making hits."