Cortez’s renderings of timeless treasures by Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, Jerome Kern, and so many others deliver sweetness, self-assuredness, and disarming vulnerability with a well-timed wit. Splitting his time between a number of weekly residencies across the city—among them Club Cumming, Metropolitan Bar, and Rebar—Cortez has focused and refined his artistry while growing his wide fanbase. Recent performances in distinguished productions such as Live at Emmet’s Place with the Emmet Cohen Trio or Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz at Pride with drummer/bandleader Bryan Carter have marked the vocalist’s career for success.