“I want people to experience instrumental music in a different way. This is hype. It’s more than just guitar.” That is how Cory Wong – an American guitarist, bassist, songwriter, producer, podcast host – explains his approach to music. Multiple influences mix in his music background: jazz, rock, soul, funk.
Raised in Minneapolis and based in New York, Cory achieved unprecedented success (including a Grammy nomination) with a series of works as a solo artist and with Wulfpeck, Stay Human, Dave Koz, The Fearless Flyers, Chris Thile. Besides fourteen studio albums, eight live albums, and four in collaboration with other artists, “Live in Amsterdam” is made with Metropole Orkest, and “Mediations” is a project with Jon Batiste in a new-age atmosphere.
Cory talks about himself as a composer and performer.
“For me, it’s all about the listener’s experience. I want them to have a visceral response like: ‘I feel better’, ‘That was really fun,’ or ‘I got to escape for an hour’. You’ll hear my voice through the guitar, but I’m just a hype man. To uplift audiences with instrumental music that has no singing or lyrics is a fun challenge. I’m trying to solve the riddle. If I can get one person to feel good this way, it’s a success.”
