Cory Wong

Cory Wong brings his razor-sharp funk and rhythmic guitar craft to Cardiff on 5 December 2026 at The Great Hall. Based in Minneapolis, the guitarist and composer has built a singular sound at the crossroads of jazz, pop and rock: clean, percussive grooves, tight arrangements, and melodies that lock in with the rhythm section. First spotted on the jazz and improvisation circuits, he broke through alongside Vulfpeck and The Fearless Flyers before shaping his own path with a run of records that centre the pulse and leave room for collective interplay.

On stage, Wong leads from the right hand, stacking syncopations and call-and-response lines that keep the band moving as one. His set draws from albums like Cory Wong and the Green Screen Band, The Optimist, Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul, The Striped Album and The Lucky One, tracing a thread from compact song forms to open-ended sections where solos breathe. Whether in small-group formation or channelling the punch of his Wongnotes project, he treats the live show as an engine for groove, with arrangements built to lift and release. Expect precision, momentum and a focus on feel from a musician who writes for the ensemble and lets it speak.