Kristin Korb

Kristin Korb did not set out to be a novelty act who happened to sing while playing upright bass. At the University of California, San Diego, where she earned a master's degree in classical bass performance, professor Bertram Turetzky encouraged her to make music with both instruments at once. That simple musical challenge became a signature voice. Then came Ray Brown. Kristin studied with the jazz-bass legend and recorded Introducing Kristin Korb with the Ray Brown Trio in 1996. What she carried forward was more than technical mastery: the confident pulse, generous swing and invitation to make a room feel the music together. Her career has connected stages, recordings and classrooms across the United States and Europe. After moving to Denmark in 2011, Korb continued touring internationally, arranging, performing and teaching. In 2024 she pushed the idea of the jazz songbook in another direction with Sweet Dreams, recasting Eurythmics material in her own language. The Vocal Side of Ray Brown brings that story back to its origin. With Josh Nelson at the piano and Kevin van den Elzen at the drums, she celebrates her mentor in his centennial year — not through imitation, but through the living music he helped her find.