Vocalist Christina Watson joins the Bruce Dudley Quartet with Bruce Dudley on piano, Dan Hitchcock on saxophone, Roger Spencer on bass and Larry Aberman on drums.  

Christina Watson is a Nashville-based vocalist and educator. Since graduating with honors from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts (2001), she has released 4 albums as a leader. Her most recent album of jazz standards is entitled “So This is Love” and features Grammy winner Jeff Coffin on saxophone, Lori Mechem on piano, Roger Spencer on bass, and Duffy Jackson on drums. She has appeared as a guest artist on numerous recording projects, including the Nashville Jazz Orchestra’s acclaimed Gershwin CD, “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Christina was nominated by the Nashville Industry Music Awards as 2018 Best Jazz Vocalist. She sings soprano in the 4-person vocal jazz group Third Coast Vocals, which released its debut album in 2011. She currently performs at concerts and private events with her jazz trio.

Christina teaches private voice lessons at her home studio and online. Christina was on the faculty at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music from 2016 until 2021, where she served as Professor of Jazz Voice and Director of the Blair Jazz Choir. She is on the faculty at The Nashville Jazz Workshop (2008-present). Between 2008 and 2019, she directed a community a cappella group called The Nashville Belles, comprised of women of all ages and backgrounds who performed concerts around the Nashville area.

In addition to having graduated from Berklee, Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts (French major) from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, (1995) and a Master of Arts in French Literature from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1998).

Bruce Dudley is a Steinway Concert Artist and has been performing jazz piano for over 40 years on concert stages, in clubs, and private residences throughout North and South America. He specializes in the Great American Songbook, as well as in the rich history of American jazz styles, from Ragtime and Stride to Modernism, Post Modernism, and performance of original music. In addition to his work as a solo artist, he leads a trio, quartet, and larger ensembles, with horns and/or strings, while also enlisting the award winning voice of his wife, Sandra Dudley. An active educator, Dudley has presented clinics across Canada, the United States, and in Colombia, South America. His recordings as a leader include DPSW Quartet - Live at the Cave (2019), The Solo Sessions (2012), Mostly Monk (2010), and Semblance (1997). Dudley has also performed with artists Aretha Franklin, Crystal Gayle, Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Herb Ellis, Randy Brecker, Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Ink Spots, and has played keyboards for over 35 touring Broadway shows, including Beautiful, Wicked, Jersey Boys, Guys and Dolls, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Legally Blonde, among others. Bruce Dudley has published articles for Downbeat magazine and presented scholarly research at conferences in the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States. His book 25 Piano Etudes in Idiomatic Styles was published in 2021 by Keuka Waters Music. Dudley is Associate Professor of Music at Belmont University. He has a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado, a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Business and Technology from New York University.

"As the leader, Dudley set the evening’s tone with a supple, rich blend of assertive melodic statements, delightful accompaniment, first-rate phrasing, counterpoint and harmonizing." Ron Wynn - ArtsNash

"Dudley, whose fluent lines jet around the keyboard, absorbing motifs into the stream, without a split second of hesitation, at any point of rhythm in the bar, are stunning to listen to…" HALIFAX CHRONICLE HERALD

"Dudley plays the piano with such grace and authority that he has quietly become the pianists that other pianists go to hear." HOUSTON POST

A Nashville favorite on the Salsa and jazz scene and electric night of Salsa dancing! Multi-instrumentalist Giovanni Rodriguez, one of Nashville's leading percussionists, bassists and favorite on the Salsa and jazz scene, plays the sounds of salsa, bachata and percussion-driven rhythms with some of the most seasoned veterans in the Nashville Latin music scene. Giovanni Rodríguez timbales/vocals, Melvin Macias (piano/vocals), Yosvany Cordero (conga/bongo), Michael S. Morton (flute/vocals), Isoel Villarrubia (bass).

For this show general admission tickets are available for standing and sitting in the front section of the room near the stage with the dance floor. Tickets for bar seats and tables are available as well. General admission tickets for the front section are not guaranteed to have seats as we will have a large part of the front section seating cleared for the dance floor. General admission tickets will have standing room as well as limited seating. Only our tables and bar seats will have guaranteed seating for this show.

MF Art Of Listening Featuring - Musicians creating a musical conversation on the spot. Getting back to the original love of what draws musicians into music. Trusting the music and musicians to guide and discover what it means to improvise much in the same way we communicate verbally. Drummer extraordinaire Marcus Finnie assembles a unique group of very special artists for this show, comprised of elite session artists or musicians on tour in the Nashville vicinity. Marcus leads the band with Lil’ John Roberts, Paul Horton and Jon Estes.

Marcus Finnie
As a Memphis native and Nashville resident, Marcus Finnie has toured the world with Kirk Whalum, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal, Brett Eldredge, Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, Lady Antebellum, Larry Carlton, Donna Summer, India Arie, Kurt Elling, Billy Preston, Earl Klugh, Beegie Adair, Dave Koz and many others. Marcus has also recorded with Grammy and Stellar Award nominated and winning artists’ Jacob Whitesides, Kent Lattimore, Ledisi, Andy Mineo, Kirk Whalum, Keb Mo & Taj Mahal, India Arie, Joss Stone, Butch Walker, Charlie Peacock, Michael McDonald, and several others.

Lil’ John Roberts
Lil’ John Roberts, a highly acclaimed and versatile drummer of his generation, has made significant contributions to various musical genres, including jazz, R&B, gospel, hip-hop, and rock. His extensive touring and session work has taken him to collaborate with renowned artists such as Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and numerous jazz musicians like George Howard, George Duke, and Walter Beasley. Although he hails from Philadelphia and has connections to local artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Jill Scott, Roberts has also become a prominent figure in the music scene of his adopted home, Atlanta, where he has collaborated with artists like Xscape, Goodie Mob, and Joi.

Alongside fellow Philadelphians Christian McBride and Joey DeFrancesco, Roberts formed the rhythm section for the Wynton Marsalis-directed Duke Ellington Orchestra. This led to a scholarship at Berklee College of Music, where he completed his studies in 1992. The following year, Roberts secured his first recording credits, contributing to albums by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (Code Red) and Eric Essix & Modern Man (Third Degree Burn). He toured with DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and later relocated to Atlanta, where he became a prominent figure in the city’s music scene. Roberts formed the Chronicle and backed numerous acts that helped establish Atlanta as a dominant force in contemporary music. At the same time, he established an enduring association with Janet Jackson as the singer’s touring drummer. Additionally, he recorded with renowned jazz artists such as George Howard, George Duke, Richard Elliot, Boney James, Everette Harp, Kirk Whalum, George Benson, and Norman Brown.

Throughout the 2000s, Roberts’ résumé expanded significantly. In addition to various touring and one-off performance duties, he continued collaborating with many of the artists he had worked with during the preceding decade. During the first half of the 2010s, Roberts expanded his network to include artists like the Foreign Exchange, Faith Evans, Jeffrey Osborne, and Anthony David. He also gained a prominent performing role in Stevie Wonder’s band for a tour celebrating the landmark album Songs in the Key of Life. Roberts capitalized on his growing popularity by releasing his first album, "The Heartbeat", in 2014, featuring a diverse mix of R&B, jazz, and hip-hop influences, and showcased artists including Musiq, Stokley Williams, Anthony David, Eric Roberson and the Roots’ James Poyser. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Roberts and keyboardist Kenny Banks, Jr. began writing and recording the material for the drummer’s second album as a leader. The following year, Roberts joined the Berklee faculty, where he continued developing the songs that eventually became Elevation.

Paul Horton
No Stress is a mantra. Repeated as many times as needed during a given day, it helps to clear the head of all the strife and noise of the modern world. It also functions as the pseudonym of multi-instrumentalist Paul Horton, a versatile creator often found playing keys in The Alabama Shakes or crafting improvised jazz compositions in Concurrence. With Prelude No. 1, Horton presents the fruits of a cleared psyche that blends everything from hip-hop and jazz to glitch and transcendental ambience. Born and raised in Athens, Alabama in a household brimming with an eclectic record collection; Horton was exposed to everything from Ella Fitzgerald to Linda Ronstadt to Africa Bambaata to New Edition to Beastie Boys throughout his upbringing. In short, a good dose of everything. This bombardment of influences, along with a Magnavox handheld tape deck to savor his favorite film and TV music, led to a musical path that isn’t corralled into any particular scene or genre. Horton has never been one to maintain idle hands. His work in The Alabama Shakes and Concurrence is augmented by constant composition at home, as well as raising a family and remembering to enjoy the non-musical parts of life. Prelude No. 1 is the result of finding that balance of work and life, remembering to embrace No Stress all along the way.

Jon Estes
Jon Estes is a Grammy nominated musician, producer, and composer who has performed and recorded with artists such as John Paul White, Robyn Hitchcock, Langhorne Slim, Rodney Crowell, Kacey Musgraves, Dolly Parton, Thad Cockrell, Jessie Baylin, Steelism, Jeff Coffin, Abigail Washburn, Mary Bragg, Brendan Benson,Bela Fleck, Duane Eddy, Kesha, Joss Stone, GAYLE, Brittney Spencer, and many more. Born and raised in Nashville, he now works on over 200 sessions a year, constantly shifting roles from producer to bassist to string arranger to engineer, bringing deep experience, creativity, and taste in every role. In the TV/Film world, Jon has worked on projects for DreamWorks, Disney, HBO, NBC, and most recently composed the main theme and music for NBC Morning News NOW and NBC News Daily. In the video game world, Estes works currently on Fortnite, and has been involved with Guild Wars, Destiny, as well as several indie games through Skewsound. These days, he lives with his wife, violinist Elizabeth Estes, and their 10 year old daughter, Ivy, in Nashville.

"Jon is one of those musicians who can do anything and do it at the highest level." - Jeff Coffin, Dave Matthews Band
"He is the kind of producer that makes one of the most difficult and stressful jobs in music seem effortless." - Griffin Anthony
"Jon plays all of the instruments better than you, but never overdoes it. Your palette is infinite when he’s on your session." - John Paul White, Civil Wars