Vocalist Ekep Nkwelle grew up in Washington, DC and worked her way from there to the stages of New York and well beyond. Her voice caught the ear of jazz greats including Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Catherine Russell, Cyrus Chestnut and the late Russell Malone, several of whom went on to perform with her.

She recently appeared at the North Sea Jazz Festival as part of the band of legendary pianist Kenny Barron. In 2023 she received the Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, nominated by Marsalis, and she is now counted among Jazz at Lincoln Center’s newest rising stars. She has performed at Umbria Jazz, Marians Jazzroom, the San Javier Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, NPR’s Tiny Desk and SFJAZZ. Now she shows exactly why her reputation runs ahead of her.