Cory Wong

Cory Wong brings his rhythm-first funk to Rock City in Nottingham on 2 December 2026. The Minneapolis-based guitarist and composer came up on jazz and improv scenes before stepping into the spotlight with Vulfpeck and The Fearless Flyers. On stage, his playing lives in the pocket: crisp right-hand patterns, clipped chords and clean tones that propel horn lines and melodic hooks without weighing them down. Since 2017 he’s released a run of records—from Cory Wong and the Green Screen Band and The Optimist to Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul, The Striped Album and The Lucky One—shaping a blend of funk, jazz nuance and pop structures that translates clearly in concert. Whether fronting his big band The Wongnotes or a tighter touring lineup, Wong keeps arrangements precise while leaving space for collective improvisation, call-and-response figures and solo spots that stay musical. A set built on groove, detail and momentum, carried by a band leader who treats rhythm as a lead voice.