Close Your Eyes (album)

This article is about the Kurt Elling album. For other albums with the same title, see Close Your Eyes.

Close Your Eyes
Studio album by Kurt Elling
Released	1995
Recorded	February 14 - November 2, 1994
Genre	Vocal jazz
Length	62:21
Label	Blue Note
Kurt Elling chronology
Close Your Eyes (1995) The Messenger (1997)The Messenger1997

Close Your Eyes is the debut studio album by Kurt Elling, released in 1995.

At the 38th Grammy Awards Elling was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for Close Your Eyes.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album four stars, and said "Chicago vocalist Elling pushes the envelope, challenging listeners and his musicians with beat poetry, ranting, and his Mark Murphy-ish singing. There's quite a bit of dramatist/actor in Elling, although the romantic in him is also pretty prevalent...There's clearly more in store for Elling as he matures, but this is as auspicious a vocal jazz debut as the world has heard.a worthy statement from Elling, who shows yet again that vocal jazz can be more than just easy listening"

Track listing

1. "Close Your Eyes" (Bernice Petkere) - 6:06
2. "Dolores Dream" (Kurt Elling, Wayne Shorter) - 6:32
3. "Ballad of The Sad Young Men" (Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf) - 6:17
4. "Hide the Salomé" (Elling) - 6:59
5. "Married Blues" (Laurence Hobgood, Eric Hochberg, Kenneth Rexroth, Paul Wertico) - 1:29
6. "Storyteller Experiencing Total Confusion" (Elling, Jim Heynen, Edward Petersen) - 6:15
7. "Never Say Goodbye" (Elling, Hobgood) - 5:30
8. "Those Clouds Are Heavy, You Dig?" (Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond) - 3:07
9. "Wait till You See Her" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) - 3:57
10. "Hurricane" (Elling, Herbie Hancock) - 4:50
11. "Now It Is Time That Gods Came Walking Out" (Hobgood, Hochberg, Rainer Maria Rilke, Wertico) - 2:03
12. "Never Never Land" (Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule Styne) - 5:00
13. "Remembering Veronica" (Elling, Hobgood) - 4:16

Personnel

• Kurt Elling - arranger, producer, vocals
• Laurence Hobgood - arranger, piano, synthesizer, producer
• Ed Bialach - assistant engineer, engineer
• Eric Hochberg - double bass, acoustic bass guitar
• Rob Amster - double bass, acoustic bass, electric bass
• Brigid Pearson - design
• Paul Wertico - drums, percussion, producer
• Roger Heiss - engineer, mixing
• David Onderdonk - acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Jimmy Katz - photography
• Bette Marshall
• Von Freeman - tenor saxophone
• Edward Petersen