Podcast Summary: All Of It — Vocalist Kate Kortum Performs Live

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Episode: Vocalist Kate Kortum Performs Live
Host: David Fuerst (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Kate Kortum and Band
Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of All Of It features an intimate session with rising jazz vocalist Kate Kortum, winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and author of the new album Wild Woman. Kortum performs live with her band, discusses the stories and ideas behind her music, details her artistic journey, and talks about the new energy young artists bring to jazz. The show offers rich musical interludes, personal anecdotes, and reflections on gender, creativity, and community in jazz.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Live Performances: A Showcase of Range and Emotion

• Opening Song: “Everything I’ve Got Belongs to You” (Rodgers and Hart)

  • A playful, tongue-in-cheek jazz standard reflecting the themes of Wild Woman.
  • [01:01] — Energetic live performance kicks off the episode.
  • “I have a terrible tongue and a temper for two. But everything I’ve got, it’s not a lot. Everything I’ve got belongs to you.” — Kate Kortum singing ([03:19])

• Second Song: “You Are There” (from debut album Good Woman)

  • A reflective, emotive performance about longing and memory.
  • [11:05] — Begins with meditative vocals; the band creates a lush atmosphere.

• Finale: “Something’s Coming” (West Side Story)

  • Unrecorded favorite, chosen for its anticipation and hopefulness.
  • [23:38] — Upbeat, forward-looking closing number.

2. On Wild Woman and Its Themes

• Kortum’s sophomore album, Wild Woman, focuses on emotions and experiences women are often taught to suppress, such as obsession and vanity.
• The chosen songs subvert jazz standards written by men, offering them from lived female perspectives.
• [04:49] “The album touches on emotions that women are taught to sort of keep at bay, like obsession and promiscuity and vanity… at the end of the day, I do love you. I am yours.” — Kate Kortum

3. Journey in Jazz: From Texas to New York

• Grew up playing saxophone and flute before discovering jazz vocals by chance (thanks to her brother’s accidental download).
• Attended Houston’s prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, surrounded by future jazz luminaries.
• [08:52] “He downloads it on my account by accident. I find it and I’m like, this is awesome. I’ve never heard anything like this before. And I just kind of went down the rabbit hole.” — Kate Kortum on discovering Ella Fitzgerald
• [09:32] “So many of the alumni that come from [the school]… Robert Glasper, Helen Sung, Walter Smith. So, yeah, it’s a big legacy of people.” — Kate Kortum

4. On Winning the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

• Receiving the prize is described as “surreal,” especially being selected by judges like Christian McBride and Ann Hampton Callaway.
• [07:04] “Even being selected was kind of surreal to me… and winning was the same thing, but times five.” — Kate Kortum
• [07:50] “It’s big, big shots who I’ve listened to growing up… it’s a bit nerve wracking.” — Kate Kortum

5. Young Artists and the Resurgence of Jazz

• Kortum notes a renewed “trendiness” of jazz among young listeners, highlighting the influence of social media.
• Her TikTok cover of “When I Get Low, I Get High” (Ella Fitzgerald) has garnered 12 million views, amplifying jazz to new audiences.
• [18:38] “I think there’s sort of a trendiness to jazz that’s happening nowadays… every five swipes I see, like, come to this brand new jazz club. It’s underground. Nobody knows about it.” — Kate Kortum
• Also notes how jazz is finding its way back into pop through artists like Laufey and Stella Cole.

6. Collaborative Projects: The Sun House Singers

• Kortum is part of a trio, the Sun House Singers, with close friends from college who moved to NYC together.
• [19:57] “More than us being in a trio, we’re all best friends… you get us all together and sort of nobody can speak but us three.” — Kate Kortum

7. Upcoming Appearances & Performances

• Jazz at Lincoln Center:
  • Performing as part of the annual Big Band Holidays series (Dec 17–21).
  • Singing classics like “White Christmas,” “Sorry To See You Go,” and “I’d Like You for Christmas.”
• Unity Jazz Festival:
  • January 9, 2026, with her band at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
• Come Sunday: Sacred Works of Duke Ellington:
  • January 30 & 31.
• [21:59] “It’s a little bit surreal… You move to a place like New York, and you sort of never think you’re gonna be singing at these institutions that all these people who came before you played at.” — Kate Kortum

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• [04:27] “It’s a little double-edged sword in this song.” — Kortum describing the character in “Everything I’ve Got Belongs To You”
• [06:42] “Wild woman can’t be a good woman… they go hand in hand.” — on the nuance of her album titles
• [08:19] “It’s, it’s surreal. Again, like, I don’t… I don’t know if it’s still fully hit me that those people picked me.” — winning the jazz vocal competition
• [17:10] “That’s one of my favorite parts about singing… you sort of start, then almost like fall into the emotion.” — on performing emotionally charged songs
• [19:38] “We all sort of do standards and, you know, this type of music, but just times three with some harmony.” — on the Sun House Singers
• [22:41] “I feel like you can’t go wrong with ‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)’… it’s one of the best.” — on favorite holiday music

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:07] — Introduction and setup
• [01:01] — Performance: “Everything I’ve Got Belongs to You”
• [04:36] — Discussion: Album inspiration and song choices
• [07:04] — On winning the Sarah Vaughan Competition
• [08:25] — Early musical memories, discovery of jazz
• [11:05] — Performance: “You Are There”
• [17:10] — The emotional experience of live performance
• [18:38] — On young people and jazz’s resurgence
• [19:38] — Sun House Singers and vocal group dynamic
• [21:00] — Details for upcoming performances
• [23:38] — Performance: “Something’s Coming” (from West Side Story)
• [28:22] — Episode wrap-up

Conclusion

This rich and vibrant episode celebrates both tradition and innovation in jazz. Kate Kortum embodies the energy of a new generation, blending reverence for classic standards with a contemporary sensibility and feminist perspective. Through live performances, candid storytelling, and an infectious passion for music, she invites listeners into her world—a place where “wild” and “good” women, old standards, and new innovation all find a home.