By Dirk Langeveld
WESTPORT — MoCA\CT is welcoming a former member of the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to help close out an exhibition that explores the intersection of art and music.
Endea Owens will perform with her ensemble, Endea Owens + The Cookout, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th. The concert complements MoCA\CT’s exhibition Art, Jazz + the Blues, which closes the next day.
“We feel very lucky to welcome Endea at this particular moment,” said Kirsten Young, the performing arts director at MoCA\CT. “After spending seven years on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she is entering a new era in her career. It will be exciting to see what she does next.”
Passing the “silent audition”
Owens grew up in Detroit and developed her musical talent at an early age. When she was eight years old, her mother gave her a Yamaha keyboard for Christmas and she discovered that she could play familiar music by ear. She subsequently learned to play the violin at her elementary school’s music program, and took up the bass in high school.
After attending Michigan State for her undergraduate education, Owens earned a master’s degree from The Juilliard School in 2018. She was mentored by several jazz icons including Wynton Marsalis, Diana Ross, and Ron Carter, joining several of them for tours.
Owens was playing gigs in the New York City area when she got the opportunity to perform on The Late Show. Joe Saylor, who played percussion with Joe Batiste’s group Stay Human as the house band for the program, saw her performing at a jazz club in the summer of 2019. Saylor recommended her to Batiste, and the two had a chat by phone.
“Everyone does like a silent audition for the gig,” said Owens. “They just don’t hand it to us.”
Two months later, in August 2019, she got an offer to play the bass for Stay Human as a substitute. She ultimately received a permanent spot and was a regular on The Late Show’s band for seven years.
Owens recalled that it was thrilling to perform in front of live audiences at the Ed Sullivan Theater where so many prominent performers have made their mark. She was also inspired by the commitment of those around her, saying Colbert and Batiste were always serious about giving it their all for every show.
“There’s nothing like the TV world, that kind of business. It was exciting every day,” she said. “I was just happy to be there.”
Alongside her work on The Late Show, Owens contributed to a variety of other award-winning projects. These included Batiste’s Grammy-winning album We Are, the Oscar-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah, H.E.R.’s pregame performance at Super Bowl LV, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. She has received an Emmy, Grammy, and Peabody Award for her work.
Owens has also worked with music students nationwide, and founded the nonprofit organization Community Cookout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still going strong today, this initiative provides meals and free concerts to underserved neighborhoods in New York City.
A MoCA\CT sendoff
In July 2025, CBS announced its controversial decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and sunset the long-running franchise. The final episode was aired on May 21st.
“It says a lot about how things are going as a society,” Owens said. “You have to be grateful for every day. Nothing in this life is promised.”
By this time, Owens had already been introduced to MoCA\CT. Pianist Emmet Cohen, who performed at the museum in December, introduced Young to Owens and later featured her in one of his livestreamed shows. In March, Owens appeared as a surprise guest when Etienne Charles performed at the museum.
Young said that while the museum had been aware of Owens for some time and hoped to invite her to the museum, the timing often did not work out. She was pleased that the stars finally aligned to allow a grand finale for Art, Jazz + the Blues and mark the first time MoCA\CT has featured a bassist as a headlining artist.
“Not only is her energy infectious, but she is deeply connected to today’s jazz scene and part of an incredible community of contemporary musicians,” said Young. “Bringing her to Westport reflects MoCA\CT’s commitment to showcasing world-class talent at the forefront of the genre.”
Art, Jazz + the Blues features art influenced by jazz, blues, and folk music and musicians from the 1920s to the 1960s. Anchored by Giants of the Blues, a series of seven group portraits by Westport native Eric von Schmidt, it is complemented by more than 50 additional works from the Westport Public Art Collections.
While the exhibition was on view during Owens’ performance with Charles, she was unable to view it at the time. However, she did consider it a very comfortable setting for a concert.
“From what I saw it was beautiful,” she said. “Any time you’re able to perform and be engulfed in art and history and creativity, it just adds to your performance.”
Endea Owens + The Cookout will perform select works from Owens’ 2023 debut album Feel Good Music as well as her 2025 release Caught Up in This Illusion. The event will feature both general admission and VIP table seating.
Next steps
Owens says that while the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert marks the close to one chapter of her career, she is looking forward to the future. She plans to continue her work with Community Cookout, pursue commissions and other concert opportunities, and do further work with film scoring.
“I know there’s more to it, and I’m looking forward to expanding,” she said.
Owens said she also anticipates a bright future for other members of The Late Show’s band. Batiste departed in 2022, with Louis Cato taking over as bandleader; the group was renamed to Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine a few months before The Late Show’s finale.
“They’re all incredible musicians,” she says. “All of those musicians have earned their right to be on that stage, and they’ve earned the right to be on other stages as well.”
For tickets to this weekend’s concert, click here. For more information on Owens and her work, visit endeaowens.com.
Endea Owens + The Cookout
Saturday, June 6
7:00 pm (doors at 6:30 pm)
MoCA\CT
19 Newtown Turnpike
Westport
Dirk Langeveld
Dirk Langeveld has worked as a news reporter, content marketing specialist, and freelance writer. He is the author of “The Artful Dodger: The 20-Year Pursuit of World War I Draft Dodger Grover Cleveland Bergdoll” and has contributed to several books on Connecticut history.
Recent Comments