By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — Two of the city’s premier jazz vocalists will be appearing this weekend at Rudy’s Jazz Room. Friday night’s feature attraction is Dara Tucker, while Saturday night offers the Diane Marino Octet. Both Tucker and Marino are dynamic, gifted and versatile interpreters comfortable operating in a broad idiomatic spectrum. Each will also accompanied by heavyweight lineups of musicians.
Tucker’s become one of Music City’s most prolific, nationally known jazz artists.. She’s opened for Grammy Award-winning vocalist Gregory Porter, guested with Vince Gill and The Time Jumpers, toured with master guitarist Charlie Hunter, and appeared on NPR’s nationally syndicated Jazz Night in America. She will be accompanied by pianist Matt Endahl, drummer Marcus Finnie and bassist Greg Bryant. The menu will mix her original songs, new compositions and arrangements on both standards and folk tunes.
Diane Marino will be leading an eight-piece group (octet) Saturday night. She’s not only an outstanding vocalist, but an excellent pianist. She grew up in New York, and began classical and jazz studies at 10. Marino graduated from NYC’S ‘Famed’ High School for the Performing Arts and later received her B.M. degree from Mannes College of Music in Manhattan as a piano performance major. While there she studied piano with world-renowned concert pianist Murray Perahia.
Marino’s 25-year career has seen her excel doing tunes from the Great American Song Book, traditional jazz, Latin and Brazilian music. She’s appeared at such sites as Birdland – NYC, Blues Alley – D.C., Vitello’s Jazz Club – L.A., Arts Garage-Del Ray Beach, Twins Jazz-D.C., Nighttown-Cleveland, Heidi’s Jazz Club-Cocoa Beach, Trumpets Jazz Club -NJ, Germantown Performing Arts Center, The Metropolitan Room-NYC, Bethesda Blues & Jazz – D.C, Montreux Atlanta Festival, Town Point Jazz Festival, and the Music City Jazz & Heritage Festival. among others.
The octet includes saxophonists Don Aliquo and Cole Burgess, trumpeter Scott Ducal, trombonist Desmond NG, guitarist Jerome Degey, bassist Frank Marino and drummer Neil Tufano, with Diane Marino doubling on piano. Rudy’s Jazz Club is located at 809 Gleaves Street in the Gulch, Nashville. For more information on start times and admission call (615) 988-2458.
