Cory Wong

Guitarist and composer based in Minneapolis, Cory Wong develops an instrumental funk marked by groove, precise arrangements and a keen sense of rhythm, at the crossroads of jazz, pop and rock. Born in Poughkeepsie (New York) and raised in Minnesota, Wong first trained in the local jazz and improvised-music scenes before gaining attention in the mid-2010s alongside the collective Vulfpeck and the spin-off group The Fearless Flyers. At the same time he launched a solo career with the album "Cory Wong and the Green Screen Band" in 2017, followed by "The Optimist" (2018) and "Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul" (2019), which established a style centered on rhythm guitar, brass sections and song-like structures. Active as leader of his big band The Wongnotes and as a collaborator with musicians from contemporary jazz and soul, Cory Wong has since multiplied projects — notably "The Striped Album" (2020) and "The Lucky One" (2023) — and maintains a strong live presence where highly arranged compositions regularly leave room for collective improvisation.