The Art of the Song: Kate Kortum and Ekep Nkwelle
About This Event
At Jazz at Lincoln Center, vocalist Kate Kortum and Ekep Nkwelle present The Art of the Song, a program that centers songcraft within a jazz frame. Kortum places her writing and performance approach in direct conversation with Nkwelle, a singer who has appeared with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and alongside Wycliffe Gordon and Chucho Valdés; both favor clarity of text and melody over spectacle.
About The Art of the Song: Kate Kortum and Ekep Nkwelle
At Jazz at Lincoln Center, *The Art of the Song* brings Kate Kortum and Ekep Nkwelle into close conversation about what a jazz song can hold. The set places Kortum’s writing and performance style alongside Nkwelle’s, tracing how melody, lyric, and improvisation shape narrative on a major New York stage. Jazz at Lincoln Center has long functioned as an institutional touchstone for the city’s jazz life, and this pairing reads as a study in contemporary songcraft. One clear takeaway is how differently each artist treats time and phrasing, even when working from similar materials.
About the Artists
The Art of the Song: Kate Kortum and Ekep Nkwelle
The Art of the Song brings vocalist Kate Kortum together with singer Ekep Nkwelle for a program centered on songcraft in a jazz frame. Presented at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the set places Kortum’s writing and performance approach in direct conversation with Nkwelle’s phrasing and interpretive choices.
Kate Kortum
Kate Kortum is a musician and performer known for her contributions to jazz music.
Ekep Nkwelle
Ekep Nkwelle is a jazz vocalist heard on New York City stages including Jazz at Lincoln Center. She has appeared in projects tied to the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and alongside major bandleaders such as Wycliffe Gordon and Chucho Valdés, moving between big-band repertory and small-group settings.