EMMET COHEN TRIO FEAT. EKEP NKWELLE

He will be joined by his perfectly rehearsed trio with bassist Phil Norris and drummer Kyle Poole, as well as one of the new rising stars of the jazz world, the fantastic Ekep Nkwelle.

Emmet Cohen began playing the piano at the age of three; he then had classical piano training according to the Suzuki method. He grew up in Miami and Montclair, New Jersey; he eventually studied at the University of Miami (Bachelor) and at the Manhattan School of Music, where he earned a Master's degree.

In 2010 he recorded his debut album In the Element with Greg Gisbert, Joe Sanders and Rodney Green; further recordings were made in the 2010s with Eric Miller (Trust Your Intuition), Brian Lynch, Veronica Swift and Herlin Riley (New Direction). In 2011, he was a finalist at the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition in Washington, D.C. In 2011 and 2015, he was a finalist at the American Pianists Awards, which he finally won in 2019.

Cohen recorded two albums under his own name under the title Masters Legacy Series, which deal with the history of jazz. The musicians involved were jazz veterans Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, Benny Golson, George Coleman, Yasushi Nakamura and Evan Sherman. During the coronavirus pandemic, Cohen began streaming concerts from his living room in the style of the rent parties of the 1930s.

The "Live from Emmet's Place" videos have been clicked on millions of times and feature the most prominent and influential musicians of our time, such as Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Randy Brecker, Seamus Blake, Samara Joy, Christian McBride and many, many more.

Ekep Nkwelle is one of the new stars on the jazz scene. The singer, who is only 25 years old, already attracted attention during her first steps on her journey into the jazz world at the famous Duke Ellinton School of the Arts and the Juilliard School and was supported by none other than Wynton Marsalis.

She has shared the stage with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Russell Malone, Peter Washington or the great Dee Dee Bridgewater, but also with the world-famous classical virtuoso Lang Lang. Her powerful and extraordinarily expressive voice will be heard many more times in the years to come.

Bassist Philip Norris began playing the piano and horn as a child, but discovered his love for the bass at the age of 13. He studied at the famous Juilliard School of Music and is now an integral part of the lively New York jazz scene. He has played with luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau and many more.

Kyle Poole, born in 1994, is one of the most sought-after and accomplished drummers on the New York jazz scene despite his young age. He came to the Big Apple in 2011 and has since played with musicians such as Jeremy Pelt, Joel Frahm, Peter Bernstein and Veronica Swift. He performed with Wynton Marsalis at the Marciac Jazz Festival and toured the world with Emmet Cohen's trio. He was also a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, the most prestigious jazz competition in the world. We will be hearing a lot more from this youngster in the coming years.