Elling to help head Grammy panel

LOS ANGELES, July 10 (UPI) -- Jazz singer Kurt Elling has been voted to the second-highest elected post at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

Elling, 35, was elected vice chairman of the NARAS, which governs the music industry's annual Grammy awards, by its board of trustees. As a chapter trustee in his native Chicago, Elling worked to expand the rap and world music fields and helped establish separate fields for comedy recordings and classical production at the Grammys.

Elling, a Blue Note artist and six-time Grammy nominee, joins a long line of previous NARAS officers from the jazz world. They include academy founder Paul Weston, John Hammond, Neshui Ertegun, George Avakian, George Simon, Bill Traut, Helen Merrill, Dan Morgenstern, Orrin Keepnews and Mike Melvoin.

"As a musician serving in this capacity, I feel uniquely qualified by my touring schedule to impact the global music community and the academy¹s diverse grass roots initiatives," Elling said.