Elling and Hunter in the Blue
Elling's voice floats over Hunter's guitar like they've known each other for decades.
SuperBlue arrives as a conversation between two musicians working at the height of their powers. Kurt Elling's voice—precise, warm, capable of shifting from spoken-word intimacy to full-bodied swing—sits alongside Charlie Hunter's guitar work, which moves between angular jazz lines and blues-soaked textures. The tempo stays mostly mid-range, neither rushed nor funeral, giving both players space to breathe and respond to each other. The production is clean but never sterile; you hear the room, the amp, the intention.
What makes this pairing work is restraint. Hunter doesn't overplay, and Elling doesn't lean on technical display. Instead, they build moods—some tracks settle into a kind of conversational groove where the singer and guitarist trade ideas like they're finishing each other's sentences. The guitar work varies from precise picking to fuller, almost orchestral textures, and Elling matches that energy shift with his phrasing and choice of register.
This is a strong collaboration between two thoughtful musicians who respect the space between notes as much as the notes themselves. It's not a landmark recording or a turning point in either artist's catalog, but it's a genuinely rewarding listen for anyone who cares about how jazz improvisation can work when two voices understand each other. Elling fans already familiar with his work will find this a natural extension of what he does; newcomers might find it an easier entry point than some of his other projects.
