Results for "Ekep Nkwelle"

Ekep Nkwelle

The meaning of Ekep Nkwelle’s name (pronounced [Eh-kep In-kweh-leh]) perfectly describes her: a gift. Her rich, soulful voice soars delivering timeless messages to audiences with power and confidence. 

To develop and master her talent, the Washington, DC-born Cameroonian-American vocalist has trained at world-renown institutes, such as Duke Ellington High School of the Arts, Howard University (BA) and The Juilliard School (MM).

At Howard, she trained with master jazz pianist, Cyrus Chestnut. With Chestnut’s guidance, Ekep tapped into the blues as an essential language for story-telling. The two would go on to perform together at Dizzy’s Jazz Club in New York and record a duet of the late DC saxophonist, Buck Hill’s “The Sad Ones” (lyrics written by Nkwelle to Buck Hill’s tenor saxophone solo).

Caged Bird

By Ekep Nkwelle

Label: Mack Avenue Records
Released: 2026
Track listing: His Eye Is on the Sparrow; Caged Bird; Night Song; Amazon Farewell; Good Morning, Heartache; Early One Mornin’; The Sad Ones; The Creator Has A Master Plan; See See Rider.

Gospel Music

By Joel Ross

Label: Blue Note Records
Released: 2026
Track listing: Wisdom Is Eternal (For Barry Harris); Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit); Protoevangelium (The First Gospel); Hostile; The Shadowlands; Nevertheless; Word for Word; Repentance; The Sacred Place; A Little Love Goes a Long Way; Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ; Calvary; The Giver; To The Throne (The Mercy Seat); Be Patient; The New Man; Now & Forevermore.

New York City Jazz Performance Preview: Fall 2026

by Paul Reynolds
September 16, 2026

New York season includes the first fall programs from two recently opened midtown clubs--The Pocket and Jazzcultural and higher-profile shows for fine emerging performers such as singer Ekep Nkwelle and pianist/arranger Joe Block. The preeminent departure is that of Wynton Marsalis who, after 30 years in the job, will lead his last season as ...

Branford Marsalis Quartet and Dianne Reeves, Ekep Nkwelle, Somi, George Garzone, Caroline Davis and Azar Lawrence

by Hobart Taylor
September 16, 2026

Mick Goodrick and Fred Hersch 1988 recordings unearthed at ECM, Music from Sweden's Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra with Amanda Werne, and France's LeBeque sisters interpret Bill Evans.Playlist Host Speaks 00:00 Caleb Wheeler Curtis /Jason Moran “ That Which Cannot Be Replaced" from Incantation (Imani) 00:07 Caroline Davis/Grey Mcmurray/Qasim Naqvi “Out of the Way of ...

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Play Ellington's Black, Brown, and Beige

by Paul Reynolds
August 2, 2026

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center Ellington's Greatest Masterpiece: Black, Brown, and Beige New York, NY July 23, 2026 Usually dark for the summer, Jazz at Lincoln Center, unusually, presented a concert event this month. Billed as the first performances of the 2026-2027 season for ...

Kenny Barron: Songbook

by Angelo Leonardi
February 10, 2026

82 anni, magistrale protagonista del pianismo moderno, Kenny Barron raccoglie suoi vecchi e nuovi brani per affidarli all'interpretazione di cantanti. I testi sono della sua vecchia amica Janice Jarrett (eccetto “Minor Blues Redux" scritto da Catherine Russell & Paul Kahn) e gli interpreti vocali vedono nomi ben noti come Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell ...

Joel Ross: Gospel Music

by Jack Kenny
February 2, 2026

Religion has long provided a stimulus for jazz. Figures as august as Duke Ellington and John Coltrane drew profound inspiration from their faith, though their reception varied. Ellington's religious compositions were often unfairly dismissed as the eccentric, late career works of an aging genius. Conversely, John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965) perfectly captured the spiritual ...

2026 Winter JazzFest Marathons: A Survival Guide

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 6, 2026

For jazz fans who are in New York, when one countdown ends with the Times Square Ball Drop, another one begins--and ends a few days later, when Winter JazzFest officially gets underway with the first downbeat at Le Poisson Rouge. For 22 years, the festival has been the launch pad of the jazz year ...

Songbook

By Kenny Barron

Label: Artwork Records
Released: 2025
Track listing: Beyond This Place; Until Then; Cook's Bay; Thoughts and Dreams; Illusion; Minor Blues Redux; In the Slow Lane; Sunshower; Calypso; Lullabye; Sonja Brag; Marie Laveau; Song for Abdullah.