Although still relatively unknown as a solo artist, Endea Owens already has an impressive track record. A graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School and mentored by such greats as Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker and Ron Carter, Owens has played her way into the spotlight at her own pace. She has performed with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Holliday, Diana Ross and Solange, and played in Jon Batiste's Stay Human (the house band of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert). In recognition of her work, the Detroit-born bassist/composer already has an Emmy, a Grammy Award and a George Foster Peabody Award on her mantelpiece. The Cookout is the name of her band, whose roots are in the jazz of the swinging sixties and seventies. Her debut album, Feel Good Music, should be in stores by now. An appropriate title because Owens' brilliant performance always brings smiles to faces.
