Review: Kurt Elling At Nice Jazz Festival

In an ideal world Kurt Elling would be known beyond the jazz world, in many ways he reminds me of Michael Buble with his stage presence and commanding voice and his ability to reinvent to any song.

He has been named Male Singer of the Year eight times by the Jazz Journalists Association over the last decade and all of his albums have been nominated for Grammys.

Smartly dressed but looking cool on a hot summers night he opened up his set with Come Fly With Me before giving us his interpretation of the U2 hit, Where The Streets Have No Name. His version was so good you could imagine Bono giving his seal of approval from his nearby French home on the French Riviera.

Some of the songs have been beautifully arranged by his guitarist John McLean who knows what works in a song and what does not, bringing out the best of the track.

Elling's last album, Passion World has tracks from all over the world mixing Cuban beats and even a song from Scotland; The Loch Tay Boat Song is a change from his usual songs and it showcased the diversity of his repertoire.

April in Paris gave him the chance to keep a French flavour to the evening. Charming, engaging and entertaining his set was one of the highlights of the festival.