Kurt Elling and the WDR Big Band - In the Brass Palace

For years, Kurt Elling has imagined what might happen if the full force of a modern big band could be shaped around the human voice—not as ornament, but as its emotional and narrative center. In The Brass Palace is the realization of that vision.

Recorded with Germany’s legendary WDR Big Band and conducted by Bob Mintzer, the album pairs Elling’s unmistakable voice—by turns muscular, lyrical, playful, and searching—with widescreen orchestration that feels both classic and unmistakably contemporary. The result is a collection that swings hard, moves deeply, and treats the big band not as a museum piece, but as a living, breathing, expressive partner.

Elling has long been celebrated for pushing the boundaries of vocal jazz through storytelling, vocalese, and fearless reinterpretation. Here, that adventurous spirit is magnified. Each track unfolds like a scene—rich with color, momentum, and emotional weight—inviting the listener into a world where language, rhythm, and harmony move as one.

In The Brass Palace stands as one of the most ambitious projects of Elling’s career: a bold meeting of voice and orchestra, tradition and innovation, craft and imagination. It is big, expressive jazz—made for listening closely and feeling deeply.