Cory Wong

Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Wong was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is of half Chinese descent.[1][2] Growing up, he was exposed to classic rock and jazz music by his father. He took piano lessons at age nine. He was fascinated by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus and decided to play bass and start a band. He took guitar and bass lessons and started a punk rock band. His first instruments were a Fender jazz bass, a Gretsch guitar, and a Fender Stratocaster. He acquired a second Stratocaster in senior year of high school, which remains his primary instrument.[3][4][5]

Wong attended University of Minnesota and the McNally Smith College of Music. At age 20 he decided to pursue music professionally. He credits his music school environment and his mentors for putting him on the right track. In particular he credits Peruvian guitarist Andrés Prado and Prince's drummer Michael Bland for showing him the nuances and cohesion of performing in an ensemble.[3][4][6][7] He names guitarists Dave Williams and Paul Jackson Jr. as early influences.[5]

In late 2000s and early 2010s, Wong focused on jazz music and performed in Minneapolis–Saint Paul jazz clubs. He released two records with jazz ensembles, Even Uneven in 2008 and Quartet/Quintet in 2012.[3][8] He then performed in the Nashville music scene on a regular basis as a session musician and guitarist. He started touring with Ben Rector and worked with a variety of artists including Bryan White, Brandon Heath and Dave Barnes.[9] In 2013, for a six-month period he performed in the Minneapolis-based band Dr. Mambo's Combo with several veterans of the city's R&B-pop-funk music scene including members of Prince's band: Michael Bland and bassist Sonny T. He calls this period his learning curve in performing "vibrant funk soul" music.[3][4]

In 2013, Wong met members of the Los Angeles-based band Vulfpeck.[3] He did a jam with the group which was later rerecorded and released as "Cory Wong".[10][11] In 2016, he started recording and touring with the band. He has recorded on every Vulfpeck album since then and toured with the band. He said of his guitar sound with Vulfpeck: "part of my sound is kind of bringing rhythm guitar to the front". He is a member of The Fearless Flyers, an instrumental quartet (with Vulfpeck's bass player Joe Dart, Snarky Puppy's guitarist Mark Lettieri and drummer Nate Smith) and has released two EPs and an album with the group.[4][8][12]

In 2016, Wong released a six-track EP as a lead artist. In 2017, he released his debut solo album, Cory Wong and The Green Screen Band.[8] His second solo album The Optimist was released in 2018 and reached number 19 on the U.S. Jazz Albums chart.[7][13] He released a third album Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul in 2019.[5] The albums feature contributions by Phoebe Katis, Antwaun Stanley, Michael Bland, Sonny T., Ben Rector, Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, Nate Smith and others.[8][14] In 2020, Wong released his fourth solo album, Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood, which he called a continuation of his third album.[15]

Wong has performed with Dave Koz, Metropole Orkest, Stay Human, the house band of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and with Chris Thile's band on the radio program Live from Here.[16] He has toured in the United States and Europe in support of his solo albums, and with Vulfpeck.[17][18] He released several albums in 2020, including a Grammy nominated new-age album titled Meditations with Jon Batiste.[19]

In 2021, Wong premiered season 1 of his variety show "Cory and the Wongnotes" on YouTube[20]. The show features a full ensemble band, playing new music from his album, short skits, and interviews on "Collaboration", "Gear", "Rhythm", and "Genre". Filmed in August 2020, the show features:

Cory Wong on electric guitar

Sonny Thompson, member of Prince (musician)'s stage and recording band on bass

Kevin Gastonguay on keys

Nêgah Santos on percussion

Petar Janjic on drums

Eddie Barbash on alto sax/soprano sax

Kenni Holmen on tenor sax/flute

Sam Greenfield on bari sax/bass clarinet

Steve Strand on trumpet

Jon Lampley on trumpet

Michael Nelson on trombone/horn arranger[21]

Some of Wong's collaborators have also been featured, namely Cody Fry and Antwuan Stanely of Vulfpeck [22]. To date (Feb 2021), the most viewed video in season 1 is on "Collaboration", amassing nearly 120,000 views.

Wong's primary equipment includes, Guitar: Fender Highway One Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups, Amplifiers: Fender '65 Super Reverb reissue and Kemper Profiler, Strings: D'Addario NYXL (.010–.046),[17] Accessories: Wampler Ego Compressor, Vertex Steel String Clean Drive, Strymon Big Sky.[18] He uses a variety of other instruments and accessories as well.[17][18] He aims for a clean tone and often records direct.[23]

Studio albums

• Cory Wong and The Green Screen Band (2017)
• The Optimist (2018)
• Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul (2019)
• Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood (2020)
• Meditations (2020) with Jon Batiste
• Trail Songs: Dusk (2020)
• Trail Songs: Dawn (2020)
• The Striped Album (2020)

Extended plays

• MSP (Part 1) (2016)

Live albums

• Live in Minneapolis (2019)
• Live on the Lido Deck (Dave Koz Cruise) (2019)
• Live in the U.K. (2019)
• Live in Amsterdam (2020) with Metropole Orkest
• The Syncopate & Motivate Tour (Set 1)[Live] (2020)
• The Syncopate & Motivate Tour (Set 2)[Live] (2020)

As primary artist

• Even Uneven (2008)
• Quartet/Quintet (2012)

With others

• Pena (2010) with Peña[24]
• The Beautiful Game (2016) with Vulfpeck
• Mr Finish Line (2017) with Vulfpeck
• Hill Climber (2018) with Vulfpeck
• Live at Madison Square Garden (2019) with Vulfpeck
• The Joy of Music, The Job of Real Estate (2020) with Vulfpeck
• The Fearless Flyers (2018) with The Fearless Flyers
• The Fearless Flyers II (2019) with The Fearless Flyers
• "Money" (2020) with Lexsoul Dancemachine
• Tailwinds (2020) with The Fearless Flyers[25]

• Official website
• Cory Wong on Facebook
• Interview with Cory Wong, 2019, at Total Guitar magazine
• Cory Wong's picking technique on YouTube