Kurt Elling & YELLOWJACKETS Release ALIVE IN EUROPE Album
Russell Ferrante, Bob Mintzer, Dane Alderson and Will Kennedy join Elling on the Big Shoulders Records release.
Two-time GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling joins with Yellowjackets for Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets Play Weather Report: Alive in Europe + Bonus Studio Recordings, a new album release from Big Shoulders Records that reimagines the music of one of the most consequential ensembles in modern jazz.
Central to the project are new lyrics written by Elling for music originally created as instrumental compositions. Drawing on a practice that has long been fundamental to his work, Elling finds narrative, character and language inside the music without turning it into conventional vocal jazz. His lyrics become another avenue into the compositions, while his voice operates as an improvising instrument within the ensemble.
Rather than recreating Weather Report's landmark recordings, Elling and Yellowjackets approach the repertoire as living music -- using the compositions as a foundation for improvisation, reinvention and the unmistakable musical personalities of the artists involved.
The collaboration brings Elling together with Yellowjackets members Russell Ferrante on piano and keyboards, Bob Mintzer on saxophones, Dane Alderson on fretless electric bass and Will Kennedy on drums. Recorded during the group's European performances, the six live tracks capture an ensemble stretching the material in real time, with Elling entering Weather Report's largely instrumental world as another improvising voice.
The live set includes 'The Elegant Ride (Elegant People),' 'The Fanfold Hawk / A Certain Continuum,' 'A Secret In Three Views,' 'Intrigue,' (a Bob Mintzer original) 'Current Affairs' and 'Pallas' Palace (Palladium).' Throughout the performances, familiar Weather Report material becomes a launching point for Elling and Yellowjackets to explore new forms, textures and extended improvisations.
Elling's approach is a natural extension of a career spent engaging deeply with instrumental jazz. Rather than placing a singer in front of the band, Alive in Europe places the voice inside the musical conversation. His newly written texts offer listeners another way into the emotional and narrative possibilities already embedded in the compositions, while leaving space for the exploratory spirit that defined Weather Report itself.
The album's second volume offers three bonus studio recordings featuring Elling with pianist Joey Calderazzo, guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Dane Alderson and drummer Marcus Finnie. The studio performances -- 'The Elegant Ride (Elegant People),' 'Palla's Palace (Palladium)' and 'The Face in the Barroom Mirror' -- provide a contrasting perspective on the project, continuing its exploration of Weather Report's musical world with a different ensemble and setting.
Founded by Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, Weather Report expanded the possibilities of jazz beginning in the 1970s, combining extraordinary improvisation with electric instrumentation, global rhythmic influences, sophisticated composition and an open-ended approach to sound. Their music has continued to resonate across generations of jazz, rock, funk and electronic musicians.
Alive in Europe + Bonus Studio Recordings approaches that legacy not as something to reproduce, but as music that remains open to interpretation. The result is both a celebration of Weather Report and a continuation of its exploratory spirit -- a body of music still capable of surprise, transformation and discovery.
Track Listing
Volume 1 -- Alive in Europe
1. The Elegant Ride (Elegant People) (Alive in Europe) -- 11:46, Composed by Wayne Shorter, lyric by Kurt Elling
2. The Fanfold Hawk / A Certain Continuum (Alive in Europe) -- 8:32, Composed by Jaco Pastorius, lyric by Kurt Elling
3. A Secret In Three Views (Alive in Europe) -- 9:42, Composed by Jaco Pastorius; lyric by Kurt Elling and Phil Galdston
4. Intrigue (Alive in Europe) -- 9:30, Composed by Bob Mintzer
5. Current Affairs (Alive in Europe) -- 9:21, Composed by Joe Zawinul, lyric by Kurt Elling
6. Pallas' Palace (Palladium) (Alive in Europe) -- 8:40, Composed by Wayne Shorter, lyric by Kurt Elling
Volume 2 -- Bonus Studio Recordings
1. The Elegant Ride (Elegant People) (Studio Recording) -- 5:29, Composed by Wayne Shorter, lyric by Kurt Elling
2. Pallas' Palace (Palladium) (Studio Recording) -- 5:34, Composed by Wayne Shorter, lyric by Kurt Elling
3. The Face in the Barroom Mirror (Studio Recording) -- 4:51, Music by Wayne Shorter; lyrics by Kurt Elling
Personnel
Alive in Europe
Kurt Elling -- vocals
Russell Ferrante -- piano, keyboards
Bob Mintzer -- saxophones
Dane Alderson -- electric bass
Will Kennedy -- drums
Bonus Studio Recordings
Kurt Elling -- vocals
Joey Calderazzo -- piano
Mike Moreno -- guitar
Dane Alderson -- electric bass
Marcus Finnie -- drums
The album is out August 28th, 2026 on Big Shoulders Records.
Kurt Elling -- Fall/Winter 2026 Tour Dates
Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets Play Weather Report
September 5 -- Detroit, MI -- Detroit Jazz Festival
September 6 -- Washington, DC -- DC Jazz Festival, The Wharf
October 8 -- San Francisco, CA -- SFJAZZ, Miner Auditorium
October 9 -- San Francisco, CA -- SFJAZZ, Miner Auditorium
October 29 -- Hamburg, Germany -- Nica Jazzclub
October 30 -- Berlin, Germany -- Kuhlhaus
October 31 -- Palermo, Italy -- Teatro Massimo
November 2 -- Foggia, Italy -- Teatro Umberto Giordano
November 3 -- Bologna, Italy -- Bologna Jazz Festival
November 5 -- Padova, Italy -- Teatro Verdi
November 6 -- Moncalieri, Italy -- Fonderie Teatrali Limone
November 8 -- Cartagena, Spain -- Teatro El Batel
November 9 -- Malaga, Spain -- Teatro Cervantes
November 12 -- Zaragoza, Spain -- Zaragoza Jazz Festival
November 13 -- Palencia, Spain -- Palencia Jazz Festival
November 14 -- Groningen, Netherlands -- Rockit Festival, Oosterpoort
Additional Fall/Winter 2026 Appearances
Wildflowers: Kurt Elling with Ben Patterson
September 18 -- Three Oaks, MI -- The Acorn
Special Guest with Freedom Riders
October 2 -- Chicago, IL -- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Kurt Elling: In The Brass Palace - Big Band Special Guest Concerts
November 15 -- Katowice, Poland -- NOSPR
November 17 -- Salzburg, Austria -- Szene Salzburg
November 18 -- Wiener Neustadt, Austria -- Stadttheater
November 19 -- Salzburg, Austria -- Szene Salzburg
November 21 -- Guimaraes, Portugal -- Guimaraes Jazz Festival
December 10 -- Belgrade, Serbia -- Sava Centar
The Beautiful Day: Kurt Elling Sings Christmas
December 3 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Dakota
December 4 -- Bloomfield Hills, MI -- Christ Church Cranbrook
December 6 -- Chicago, IL -- City Winery Chicago
Kurt Elling with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw
December 15 -- Amsterdam, Netherlands -- Concertgebouw
December 16 -- Arnhem, Netherlands -- Stadstheater Arnhem
December 17 -- The Hague, Netherlands -- Amare
Photo Credit: Jeff Ludovicus (Download High Res)
Photo Credit: Jeff Ludovicus (Download High Res)
