Kurt Elling · Europa Open Air, Weseler Werft, Francfort — hr-Bigband · 2026
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Live video · Jazz · 2020s
Kurt Elling — Europa Open Air, Frankfurt, 2026
Why this recording
Streamed live on August 20, 2026 and posted the next day by the hr-Bigband itself, this video captures the concert that opened the Europa Open Air, ahead of the evening's symphonic programme. Kurt Elling appears as the guest of a German public-radio ensemble led by Jörg Achim Keller, setting his voice against a full big band with brass and reed sections rather than a small combo. Just over an hour in HD, released by the host orchestra, documenting a one-off meeting between an American soloist and a Frankfurt institution.
Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue
A live concert filmed on August 20, 2026 at the Weseler Werft in Frankfurt, as part of the Europa Open Air, this capture brings together American singer Kurt Elling and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band (hr-Bigband), conducted by Jörg Achim Keller. A two-time Grammy Award winner with seventeen nominations, Kurt Elling is regarded as one of the greatest baritones in contemporary vocal jazz. Renowned for his swing, the breadth of his range and his sophisticated lyrics — he famously wrote words to compositions once thought unsingable by John Coltrane or Wayne Shorter — he reconnects here with the orchestral richness of a first-rank radio big band. The open-air format highlights the dialogue between the voice and the brass sections, between reimagined standards and ambitious arrangements. A reference jazz concert, filmed outdoors in Germany, to appreciate Kurt Elling’s vocal art carried by one of Europe’s finest big bands. This full concert can be watched online in its entirety.
Personnel & credits
- Kurt Elling — vocals
- Jörg Achim Keller — conductor
- Frankfurt Radio Big Band (hr-Bigband)
