Guitarist, composer and arranger Cory Wong (Minneapolis, 1985) views himself as a ‘hype man’ and a ‘fast, high-energy funk banger’. He slings his Stratocaster around his shoulders and rules the stage with force, skill and determination. He has a busy schedule; besides his work as a musician (with groups such as Snarky Puppy and Vulfpeck, among others), he also works as a production manager and hosts a YouTube variety show, Cory And The Wongnotes. On his album Elevator Music For An Elevated Mood (2020), the follow-up to Motivational Music For The Syncopated Soul (2019), he offers ‘funky fun’ with a wide range of instruments. In 2020 he worked on Live In Amsterdam together with the Metropole Orkest, as well as recording Meditations; a new age album with Jon Batiste. Last year saw the release of The Golden Hour, a joined project with smooth jazz alto saxophonist Dave Koz (1963), with whom he had already participated in the ‘Dave Koz Cruise’ from Amsterdam to the British isles.
