[Cover photo credit to Ashley Marsh]

Vocalist Ekep Nkwelle has released her debut album Caged Bird via Mack Avenue Records. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the record “details a journey from sorrow to inspiration, representing human suffering and the pursuit of a better future.” The album’s title track, a rendition of Abbey Lincoln’s song, and a performance video are out now.

Nkwelle says about “Caged Bird”:

This composition helped me find my voice. I spent ten years studying music in academia and became fixated on the pursuit of perfection. “Caged Bird” snapped me out of this trance and woke me up to the reason why I sing. Growing up in the D.C. area, I was surrounded by successful artists and the opportunity to become one myself. But in the community where my parents were raised, both as Cameroonian immigrants, art was not considered lucrative enough to sustain a livelihood and therefore could only be pursued leisurely. “Caged Bird” reminded me to sing because I must. I sing because, at the age of 62, my mother wrote her first children’s book. I sing because, having passed away at the age of 54, my father never took the chance to play his favorite instrument, the saxophone. I sing because the generation of unrealized and delayed artistic pursuits ends with me. I sing because I was made to, and therefore, I must.

Speaking about the album’s release, Nkwelle adds:

Though I intended for my debut to be released in 2023, this album became a three-year process. After receiving my Master’s from Juilliard, I felt ready to share my voice with the world. But one of the greatest gifts we’re given in life is time, and over time, my voice, band, music, and message have grown much stronger, making now feel like a better time than ever to share this album with the world.

Nkwelle has performed at Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, and North Sea Jazz Festival, and collaborated with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Russell Malone, and Cyrus Chestnut.

Tour Dates

Tue, Oct. 6 – Sat, Oct. 10 – New York, NY – Village Vanguard

Fri, Oct. 16 – Sun, Oct. 18 – New York, NY – Dizzy’s Club

Sun, Nov. 1 – Lausanne, Switzerland – JazzOnze Plus Festival

Sat, Nov. 7 – Cartagena, Spain – Cartagena Jazz Festival

Sun, Nov. 8 – Málaga, Spain – Malaga International Jazz Festival

Tue, Nov. 10 – Madrid, Spain – Madrid International Jazz Festival

Wed, Nov. 11 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Bimhuis

Thu, Nov. 12 – Rijkevorsel, Belgium – Concertzaal De Singer

Fri, Nov. 13 – Sat, Nov. 14 Paris, France – Le Duc des Lombards

Sun, Nov. 15 – London, United Kingdom – Ronnie Scott’s

Wed, Nov. 18 – Athens, Greece – Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall

Sat, Nov. 21 – Rockport, MA – Shalin Liu Performance Center