Emmet Cohen Trio
Featuring Ekep Nkwelle
Jazz Club
Sat Feb 20 | 8PM
Sun Feb 21 | 2PM
Event details
Emmet Cohen found a defining expression to his core belief — that jazz is fundamentally about communication and connection — when he created “Live from Emmet’s Place” as an intimate weekly livestream from his Harlem apartment during the 2020 lockdown. Now with over 100 million views, the series has grown into an ongoing cultural ecosystem, one that reflects his vision of jazz as a living, participatory art form. Cohen performs with his trio and vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, who in her 20s, has already been called upon by jazz titans Wynton Marsalis and Cyrus Chestnut, making appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and beyond.
Sat Feb 20 | 8PM
Sun Feb 21 | 2PM
Ticket prices
$59–$79
“[Cohen is] not just the poster man for contemporary jazz, breathing 2020s finesse onto early twentieth century swing, he is a supremely gifted and impassioned artist of the highest order.”
— All About Jazz
Media
About the Artist
Emmet Cohen
Emmet Cohen is widely regarded as a leading jazz pianist of his generation and a defining force in the evolution of the art form. A virtuoso musician, producer, and bandleader, he combines deep respect for jazz tradition with a singular ability to create connection, community, and momentum in the modern era. Cohen has released 12 albums as a leader and is the producer and creative force behind Live From Emmet’s Place, a landmark series comprising over 140 two-hour livestream performances featuring hundreds of musicians spanning generations and reaching more than 100 million views worldwide. The series continues from Power Station NYC, having grown from an intimate broadcast into a global cultural platform. A Mack Avenue recording artist, Cohen has performed in over 40 countries, serves as host of The Jazz Cruise and a member of its programming team, and he has been chosen as Artistic Partner of the 2027 American Piano Awards. He was named DownBeat Readers Poll Pianist of the Year (2025) and, in 2023, received both Pianist of the Year and Livestream Producer of the Year honors from the Jazz Journalists Association.
Ekep Nkwelle
Ekep Nkwelle, age 24, is a DC-born, New York-based jazz vocalist of Cameroonian-American descent. She has trained at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University, and The Juilliard School and worked alongside jazz masters such as Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut, and Peter Washington.
She was also featured at Radio City Music Hall with renowned classical pianist Lang Lang in collaboration with Disney. She has performed at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and Newport and Montclair jazz festivals, but most notably, she was featured in 2022 on NPR’s Tiny Desk singing her arrangement of Geri Allen’s “Timeless Portraits and Dreams.”
2023 marked a pinnacle in Ekep’s career as she was honored with the prestigious Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, a testament to her artistry and character, nominated by jazz master trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
Nkwelle is one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s newest rising stars, and is poised to shape the future of jazz. She strives to display her artistry and passion for music with audiences worldwide.
Jazz Club at The Soraya
Immerse yourself in the Jazz scene. Savor drinks at prime tables, mingle with friends, and witness fearless Jazz artists in an electrifying, up-close performance.
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