Laurence Hobgood - Piano

Best known for his collaboration with vocalist Kurt Elling, multiple Grammy nominee and 2010 Grammy winner Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a multi-faceted and dynamic career. Musical director for Elling since 1995 he’s played on, composed/arranged for and co-produced all of Elling’s CDs (6 for Blue Note and 3 for Concord), each Grammy-nominated. 2009’s “Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane and Hartman”, recorded live at Lincoln Center, won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Jazz Record.

Hobgood was awarded three consecutive fellowships (‘90, ’91, ’92) to perform in the Aspen Music Festival. The Chicago Tribune honored him as a 1995 Chicagoan Of The Year in the Arts. In 2003 he received a Deems Taylor Award, given by ASCAP for the year’s outstanding music journalism, for his article, “The Art Of The Trio”, published by JazzTimes magazine.

He has performed both with Elling and with his own trio at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Chicago’s Symphony Center and Ravinia, Sydney Opera House, London’s Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Halls, as well as the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals including Montreaux, North Sea, Monterey, Spoleto USA, Newport, Umbria, Montreal, JVC festivals in Paris and Japan and many others. Elling and Hobgood also appeared at the 2009 State Dinner given at the White House where President Obama welcomed India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He has played and/or recorded with Larry Coryell, Lee Konitz, John Pattitucci, Jon Hendricks, Stefon Harris, Richard Galliano, Terreon Gully, Terrence Blanchard, Bob Sheppard, Ernie Watts, Marc Johnson, Joe Lovano, Benny Maupin, Paul Wertico, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Bob Mintzer, Mark Murphy, Von Freeman, Peter Erskine, Paul McCandless, Gary Burton and Eddie Daniels, to name a few.

His latest solo CD, 2008’s “When The Heart Dances”, a duet recording with iconic bassist Charlie Haden, has received worldwide critical acclaim, garnering 4-star reviews from Down Beat and the UK’s Mojo magazine among others. And Elling’s third Concord CD, “The Gate”, co-produced by Elling and Hobgood with music legend Don Was, has already received much critical praise since its February 2011 release. A long time Chicago native, Hobgood moved to New York in 2006 and now lives on the south shore of Long Island.

Kurt Elling - Vocal
(born November 2, 1967) is an American jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and vocalese performer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Elling first became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church. Growing up, Elling sang in choirs and played various musical instruments, but wasn't exposed to jazz until he attended Gustavus Adolphus College. Elling enrolled in graduate school at the University of Chicago Divinity School, but left school one credit short of a master's degree to pursue a career as a jazz vocalist.

Elling began to perform around Chicago, scat singing and improvising his own lyrics. He recorded a demo in the early 1990s and was signed by Blue Note Records, releasing a total of seven albums with the label. He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Vocal Jazz Album for Dedicated to You (2009) on the Concord Jazz label. Elling often leads the Down Beat critics poll, and he was awarded the Prix Billie Holiday from the Académie du Jazz. Since 1995, Elling has collaborated with pianist, composer, and arranger Laurence Hobgood, leading a quartet that regularly tours the world.

Robert Amster - Upright Bass has played on five Grammy nominated recordings, and currently performs with Kurt Elling, the Laurence Hobgood Trio, Mike Smith Quintet, and the Tom Garling Sextet. He has performed with Maynard Ferguson, Dizzy Gillespie, Willie Pickens, Marian McPartland, Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, Buddy Rich and Paul Wertico. Since 1995, Rob has been based in Chicago while touring worldwide and recording with Kurt Elling. He performed on all three of Elling's Grammy nominated recordings and has played at many of the world's most prestigious venues and festivals. He performs regularly with Von Freeman and is a member of Ravinia Jazz Mentors. Rob studied at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Miami.