International award-winning songstress N'Kenge has been heralded by The New York Times as "a classically trained diva that can stretch from Broadway to Pop, Soul, and Opera". Trained at both The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, N'Kenge's vocal and musical range spans 5 octaves and 11 languages.
N'Kenge made her Broadway debut in "Sondheim on Sondheim", and slayed the game on Broadway originating the role of Mary Wells in "Motown: The Musical", which garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
On January 24, 2018, as part of the "Broadway at The Pierre" cabaret series in association with Broadway Sings for Pride, a concert was held at Two E Bar/Lounge — the sophisticated saloon located inside the New York City luxury hotel, The Pierre. The concert featured a performance by N'Kenge, backed by pianist and musical director Chris Curcio.
N'Kenge performed the song "Zaz Zuh Zaz" during the concert, where Shefik served as Videographer. "Zaz Zuh Zaz" is a jazz scat standard written and composed by Harry White and Cab Calloway, taken and adapted from his 1931 hit "Minnie the Moocher". He recorded it with his Cotton Club big band jazz at RCA Victor in 1933.
Calloway was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor, and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist of the swing era. His niche of mixing jazz and vaudeville won him acclaim during a career that spanned over 65 years.
Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the most popular dance bands in the United States from the early 1930s to the late 1940s. His band included trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, guitarist Danny Barker, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Cozy Cole.
Credits
- Videographer: Shefik
Last Updated: April 22, 2023
