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| Late Show Bassist Endea Owens and The Cookout, to Perform at VJC Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 PM The Vermont Jazz Center is thrilled to present Endea Owens fronting her sextet, The Cookout, on Saturday, May 10. Owens is a familiar presence to late-night TV buffs as the double-bassist propelling Stephen Colbert's The Late Show house band with her swinging, low-end grooves. The Detroit native is a graduate of Juilliard who has toured and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Diana Ross, Solange, Jon Batiste, Jazzmeia Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Turre, and many others. She has won an Emmy, a Grammy Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award and has appeared on Jon Batiste's Grammy Award-winning album We Are, the Oscar-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah, and H.E.R.'s widely acclaimed Super Bowl LV performance. Impressed by the intensity and fullness of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers as a youth, Owens seeks to emulate the big sound he attained by performing with a sextet rather than a smaller, more intimate group. She noted, "I wanted to honor his legacy." Owens' sextet includes herself on upright bass, Diego Ramirez (drums), Anthony Hervey (trumpet), Irwin Hall (saxophone), Mathis Picard (piano), and Nia Drummond (vocals). In an interview with the Pace Report, Owens relates "…it's empowering to lead a band…the way that I function with my band is to exemplify equal opportunity because it's not all about me. I want everyone to have their time to shine. We're a collective." Endea Owens sees music as a healing force, a way to bring people together and spread joy. The quality of sound she achieves in her compositions embodies that altruistic, positive spirit. Owens was commissioned in 2023 by the Cincinnati Symphony to compose and serve as artist in residence. In a promo video for the project, "Believe in Yourself, " she discussed the effects she hopes to see as a result of her music's impact. "When people walk away from the experience, I just hope that they will have a change in their heart…a flow of energy and a vibration that will help the next person [especially] if they don't feel loved or feel depressed." This focus on generating positive energy comes as a reflection of Owens' ability to transcend difficult times first-hand. When she was in high school, Owens' mother lost her job as an educator, and their family ended up living in a shelter. Despite that hardship, Endea continued to practice and walk to rehearsals with her acoustic bass strapped to her back. Her mother said to her "don't let this deter you, you're going to be somebody." She said "those were the years that I learned the most. I always knew I would be a musician, and I always knew I could help people with the bass…nothing could ever break me. I would practice in the shelter; I would close my eyes and when I opened them every woman and girl in the shelter would surround me, listening. That moment was so uplifting… I knew that music was bigger than me." Endea Owens loves a cookout, that's the way she came up with the name of her band - The Cookout. Cookouts have also become a way for her to serve others. In a 2025 interview with The Real Jazz Book videocast Owens discussed the origin of a non-profit she has formed which she calls, "The Community Cookout." She conveyed, "I was aware of the blessing of still being able to work months into Covid [with the Late Show], so I thought I could help people and give back." Giovanni Russonello of the New York Times picked up the story: "In Harlem, where she lives, Ms. Owens started a monthly series of masked, socially distanced cookout concerts. Using donations as well as money from her own pocket, she has handed out 100 free meals at each one, while paying underemployed jazz musicians to perform." To this day Owens continues to host Cookouts, often collaborating with noted chefs and local food pantries to draw attention to the plight of homelessness and food disparity. She has served thousands of meals, partnering with New York's famed Charlie Parker festival and other service organizations, establishing Cookout events as far away as Europe and Tucson, Arizona. Detroit, Endea Owens' hometown, is one of the major cities where Black music thrives. She was 15 when she picked up the bass at Detroit School of the Arts. Her mentors include two of that city's legendary teachers, Rodney Whitaker and Marcus Belgrave. The history of significant Detroit bassists runs deep and includes Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Robert Hurst, James Jamerson and many others. This is an important part of Owens' story. In her interview with The Real Jazz Book she said: "the greatest thing about Detroit is its soul and community - the [lineage] of musicians is based in mentorship, and that creates strong [protégés]. There are lots of selfless players who toured with the greats, musicians who will take the time to work with struggling students until they get it. Also, growing up, I heard everything on the radio, not just one type of music. Not just Motown hits. It's in the water - the perseverance, the fire, the ambition, grabbing life by the horns, and that comes through the music." The group's vocalist Nia Drummond has been described as a "moving and electrifying performer" by the Wall Street Journal. She is known for combining her jazz roots, operatic training, gospel beginnings, and R&B stylings into a unique, "genre-fluid" sound. Nia has been featured at the Apollo Theater, Playhouse Square in Cleveland, the New World Center, the Kennedy Center, and other renowned venues. She has also been featured in Great Performances: American Voices with Renée Fleming on PBS. Drummond has appeared as a background vocalist for the likes of Sir Elton John, Bette Midler, Valerie Simpson, Fantasia, John Legend, and many others. Apart from her work in the jazz idiom, Ms. Drummond also has extensive credits in the classical world. Her opera credits including Mother Superior in Benton Hess' Felice, title role in Tobias Picker's Therese Raquin, Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rosalinda in Strauss' Die Fledermaus, and Edith in Gilbert and Sullivans' Pirates of Penzance which was her debut at Lincoln Center. Additionally, she has appeared under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas, the late Lorin Maazel, James Levine, and David Robertson. Ms. Drummond was one of three winners selected from 10, 000 competitors for the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts "Jazz Voice" award in 2012. She was honored to sing the National Anthem at the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony in September of 2015. Nia Drummond claimed the top prize at the American Traditions Vocal Competition. The Cookout's trumpeter is Anthony Hervey who was recently named by Grammy.com as one of the "10 Emerging Artists to Know." A 2020 graduate of the Julliard Master's program, Hervey has also toured, performed, and recorded with luminaries such as Christian McBride, Jon Batiste, and Michael Bublé. As the leader of the Anthony Hervey Quintet, he is comfortable playing styles ranging from ragtime to R&B. Hervey performs regularly with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Christian McBride Big Band, the Mingus Big Band, the Future of Jazz Orchestra, and the Ulysses Owens Jr. Generation Y Quintet. He has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, and Birdland, as well as Marians Jazz Room in Bern, Switzerland, the Cotton Club in Tokyo, XJAZZ Berlin, the Marciac Jazz Festival in France, and the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals in the United States. Saxophonist Irwin Hall attended Princeton University on a full scholarship to study East Asian philosophy. He became fluent in Japanese and, after graduating, began work at a major Japanese newspaper in Tokyo. He was invited by vocalist Melody Gardot to tour with her band after she heard him perform at the Tokyo Jazz Festival. He has since recorded three albums with Ms. Gardot. He has also toured and/or recorded with NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, soul icon John Legend, bass virtuoso Charnett Moffett, Lauryn Hill and many others. He has performed in cities around the world including London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Prague, New York, Paris, Melbourne. His work is featured on two Grammy-nominated albums: Star People Nation by trumpeter Theo Croker and Currency of Man by Melody Gardot. Originally from France and Madagascar, The Cookout’s pianist, Mathis Picard was named a “rising star” by The Scotsmen paper at the age of 10. Mathis is now one of the most prominent rising voices on the piano of his generation today. He is an ASCAP Next Generation of Songwriters recipient, a member of the Montreux Jazz Foundation, and a Juilliard School graduate who has performed around the globe. Picard picked up the piano at the age of 4 and has followed a rigorous musical education including the Pittsburgh Suzuki Academy, the Conservatoire of Fontainebleau (France), the Centre de Musique de Didier Lockwood (France), the Chetham’s School Of Music and the Juilliard School. Mathis now spends his time touring and recording as a leader and with other bands. In Spring 2022 he released his latest album Heat of The Moment which was given a 5-star review from The Times and includes performances from this new generation’s top leading voices in jazz (Joel Ross, Melanie Charles, Braxton Cook, Jonathan Pinson, Savannah Harris, Russell Hall, Giveton Gelin, Kyle Poole and others). When not leading his own projects, Picard has shared the stage with artists such as Ron Carter, Lillias White, Lee Ritenour, Kindness, Wynton Marsalis, Veronica Swift, Etienne Charles, Christian McBride, Dee Dee Bridgewater & more. New York City-based drummer Diego Joaquin Ramirez attended Berklee College of Music, the Banff International Jazz Workshop and the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program. He has studied with Ralph Peterson Jr, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nate Smith, Rodney Green, Jamey Haddad, Clarence Penn, and Tyshawn Sorey. He has performed with Vijay Iyer, Cyrille Aimee, Marc Cary, Duane Eubanks, Michael League, Jazzmeia Horn, Alina Engibaryan, Grace Kelly, Stacy Dillard, Greg Tardy, Theo Hill, Luques Curtis, Walt Weiskopf, Niwel Tsumbu, Loah, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Brian Deady, and Liam O’Maonlai. Ramirez has played at many international venues and festivals including the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Fest, Montreal Jazz Fest, SXSW, The Kennedy Center, The DC Jazz Fest, Barranquilla Jazz Fest (Colombia), Umbria Jazz Fest (Italy), Cork Jazz Fest (Ireland), BIRD (Rotterdam), Minton’s Playhouse, Smoke, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Smalls, Fat Cat, Zinc, Nublu and others. When the online music magazine, The Pace Report, asked Endea Owens to describe her music, she called it “a buffet of the Black music experience: very unique, with mostly jazz influences but also inspired by gospel, funk, R&B and swing.” Without question, Owens leads the band from the bass with authority and tons of exuberant energy. This will be a joyful concert that will inspire listeners to see the good in life and convey that positive spirit to those around them. Come listen to Endea Owens at the Vermont Jazz Center on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 PM. This concert will likely sell out, so purchase your tickets early. The VJC is especially grateful for the sponsorship of this event by David Salzberg and Elissa Barr, two dear friends who for several years have actively shown their belief in the power of music to bring community together to enhance the quality of life. Their generous contributions are what make VJC concerts affordable for all; their sponsorship also subsidizes free admission for local music students. The VJC is also thankful for the ongoing support from the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. VJC publicity is underwritten by the Brattleboro Reformer and The Commons. Tickets for Endea Owens and The Cookout at the Vermont Jazz Center are $25+ general admission, (contact VJC about educational discounts); available online at www.vtjazz.org. Tickets and information on handicapped access can be attained by calling the Vermont Jazz Center ticket line, 802-254-9088, ext. 1. Quote: “Endea Owens evolves the legacy of great leaders behind the bass, she approaches her sets with commanding presence, sensitivity, and an elastic foundation primed for spontaneity.” - Jazz At Lincoln Center write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |