Listen: Kurt Elling Releases Double Single 'Sermonette / If It's True'

Following his run as Hermes in the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, two-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling has returned with Sermonette / If It's True, a new double-sided digital single now available on Big Shoulders Records. Listen here!

The release pairs two recordings from different musical worlds. On “Sermonette,” Elling has written an original vocalese to a Harry “Sweets” Edison solo on the Cannonball Adderley classic. Elling builds upon the groundbreaking original lyric by Jon Hendricks while bringing the song into the present day through themes of truth, compassion, and civic responsibility. The recording features acclaimed pianist Luther Allison.

The companion track, “If It's True,” captures Elling's interpretation of one of Hadestown's defining songs and marks his first recording following his acclaimed Broadway debut as Hermes. The performance features GRAMMY Award-winning pianist John Beasley alongside Hadestown guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze, creating a direct musical connection to the Broadway production.

About Kurt Elling

A two-time GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist, lyricist, and composer, Kurt Elling is recognized worldwide as one of jazz's foremost storytellers and improvisers. Over a career spanning three decades, he has earned fifteen Jazz Journalists Association Male Vocalist of the Year honors, topped the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls, and received widespread acclaim from publications including The New York Times, which called him "the standout male jazz vocalist of our time," and The Guardian, which described him as "a kind we of Sinatra with superpowers."

Recent projects include SuperBlue, the Wildflowers series, and In The Brass Palace with the WDR Big Band. In 2025–26, Elling made his Broadway debut as Hermes in the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, expanding his artistic reach while continuing an international touring and recording career. Learn more at https://bigshouldersrecords.bandcamp.com and www.kurtelling.com

Summer Tour Dates

SuperBlue: Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter with Special Guest Nate Smith

Aug 8, 2026 - Springfield Jazz and Blues Festival  - Springfield, OH

Kurt Elling with the HR Big Band

Aug 20, 2026 - Open Air, Europaplatz - St. Gallen, Germany

Aug 21, 2026 - Die Glocke - Bremen, Germany

Kurt Elling with Lara Downes

Aug 25, 2026 - Chautauqua Institution

Kurt Elling and Yellowjackets Celebrate Weather Report

Sep 5, 2026 - Detroit Jazz Festival - Detroit, USA

Sep 6, 2026 - DC Jazz Fest - The Wharf – Washington, D.C.

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