Cory Wong continued to be the busiest guy around this past weekend with a slew of notable appearances as he builds up to the February 5th release of his first album of 2021, Cory and the Wongnotes (pre-order on vinyl here).
On Thursday, Wong released the fourth episode of his ongoing YouTube variety show, Cory and the Wongnotes. The concept show was filmed in a “bubble” format last August and sessions were used to record a forthcoming album of the same name with an eleven-piece outfit due out on February 5th. Watch all the episodes of Cory and the Wongnotes here.
Cory and the Wongnotes – Season 1 [Trailer]
[Video: Cory Wong]
On Friday, Cory Wong served as the featured performer on A Late Show with Stephen Colbert. For his appearance on the late-night show, Wong offered up a performance of 2020 track “Bluebird” culled from the Cory and the Wongnotes sessions. The #PlayAtHome performance, cleverly stylized by Wong for the Late Show format, quite literally dropped Colbert’s millions of viewers nationwide into the world of the Wongnotes (what is this, a crossover episode?). With the phenomenal Eddie Barbash handling the fluttering lead lines Chris Thile‘s mandolin plays on the song’s studio recording, the track remained a burst of sunshine in the live setting and likely drove hordes of new fans to Cory’s channel, where the full Cory and the Wongnotes experience is ongoing (new episodes premiere on Thursdays). Watch the Cory Wong Colbert performance below.
Cory Wong ft. Eddie Barbash – “Bluebird” – A Late Show with Stephen Colbert
[Video: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]
On Saturday, Cory Wong joined innovative hybrid orchestra Nu Deco Ensemble at Miami’s North Beach Bandshell for a livestream show. For his portion of the performance, Cory adapted a number of his original works for the 30-piece outfit. Watch a recap clip of the performance below. For more information on Nu Deco Ensemble’s upcoming livestreams with guests Richard Bona, Cory Henry, and more, head here.
Nu Deco Ensemble w/ Cory Wong – Recap Video
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Perhaps no other artist was as prolific during 2020 as Cory Wong. Though he typically spends his days touring the world with his solo band or playing venues like Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Vulfpeck, Wong used his pandemic-imposed time off the road as a creative breeding ground. Included among Wong’s numerous 2020 releases were solo studio albums, live records, twin concept pieces, and a collaborative EP with Jon Batiste, Meditations, which netted him a Grammy nomination for “Best New Age Album.”
For more on Cory Wong, head here.