Kurt Elling & WDR Big Band, Steppin’ Out Review

Kurt Elling: Steppin’ Out to Step Forward

by Sylvannia Garutch

Kurt Elling has never been one to rest on past successes. With his latest single, “Steppin’ Out,” he signals a forward direction by reintroducing a tune he first explored in 2011 with new depth, dynamic force, and big band firepower. This 2025 version marks the debut release on his newly formed label, Big Shoulders Records, created in partnership with longtime manager Bryan Farina. It’s a venture that promises increased artistic control and a blueprint for sustainable independence in the jazz world.

The track, a reimagining of Joe Jackson’s 1982 synth-pop classic, is far from a cover. Arranged by Michael Abene and performed in collaboration with the formidable WDR Big Band, this rendition fuses swing with harmonic reimagination. Elling’s decision to revisit the song over a decade after its first appearance on The Gate is a reflection of his transformational focus. “I’d always felt this tune had a larger, cinematic potential,” Elling noted in a recent WRTI interview. This version realizes that vision with architectural precision and full-bodied jazz vocabulary.

The track opens with a big band shout chorus that immediately sets the song in a bold swing. Sectional counterpoint and brass hits ricochet with confidence, creating rhythmic propulsion without resorting to a walking bass or traditional ride pattern. Instead, the ensemble leans into implied swing, building tension through orchestration. The melody is teased, not stated, until Elling’s entrance. When he arrives, it’s with a resonant long tone, rich and centered, that glides over the now-swinging rhythm section. The bass with its walk, the ride cymbal locks into a lilting eighth-note groove, and Elling’s phrasing punctuates the moment: the jazz version of “Steppin’ Out” is fully underway.

A key detail in this arrangement is a clever note substitution at the end of each verse’s first line, an idea Elling credits to Nicholas Payton, which adds harmonic surprise and deepens the tune’s transformation from synth-driven pop to orchestrated jazz statement. The WDR Big Band plays with verve and responsiveness, and Abene’s voicings bring urban sophistication and burnished brass color to the arrangement. It’s not just Elling singing “the night’s the time to go out and see what’s new,” the band sounds like it’s doing exactly that.

Vocally, Elling is in prime form. His delivery is relaxed yet commanding, with subtle vibrato and sly syncopations underscoring the swing feel. His scating passages effectively draw from his deep jazz vocabulary without overshadowing the melodic sensibility. His tone glides effortlessly between registers, and his rhythmic instinct remains in the pocket as he bends time without breaking it, always in dialogue with the band.

“Steppin’ Out” also functions as a statement piece for Big Shoulders Records. By opening the label’s catalog with a song that bridges jazz and pop, old and new, ensemble and soloist, Elling places versatility and artistic dialogue at the center of his label’s mission. With distribution handled by The Orchard, the label is set up for broad accessibility, but the artistic aim is clear: integrity over algorithm.

A full-length album with the WDR Big Band is slated for release in Fall 2025. Among the promised gems are arrangements of Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil” and Joe Zawinul’s “Current Affairs,” both featuring original vocalese by Elling, and a John Scofield piece set to lyrics by Nina Clark. Kurt Elling’s “Steppin’ Out” has a bold arrangement, expressive vocals, and the launch of an artist-centered label; Elling steps out and steps up as a performer and architect of a label’s first chapter.