Intimate jazz organ trio led by tenor saxophonist Eric Wurzelbacher at Rudy's Jazz Room.
Eric Wurzelbacher brings his organ trio to Rudy's Jazz Room on Saturday, October 17, with the set starting at 5:30 PM. It's a small group—tenor sax, organ, and drums—and the sound sits right in that hard-bop pocket. Jazz Journal UK described it as a "foot-tapping mix of hard-bop improv and rock," which gives you a good sense of where this lands: it's jazz that keeps moving.
On the stand, Wurzelbacher handles the tenor saxophone, leading the trio as both the front man and the composer. He's joined by Ty Ballie on organ and Josh Cook on drums. The organ trio format has a long history in jazz, and this one leans into the groove side of it. The group made its first national appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival back in 2019, and they've been working from original material ever since.
As a leader, Wurzelbacher has put out six albums of his own writing: Eco Quartet (2017), Power (2018), Maya (2019), Idle Minds (2021), Don't Climb the Towers (2024), and YOUNGBLOODS TRIO (2025). There's a seventh original project, Man Thinketh, on the horizon for 2026, so he's coming off a run of nearly one record a year. Critics have talked about how he straddles the line between old school and new school—Big Takeover recommended Idle Minds to jazz fans, and Jammerzine noted that he's "tapped into the soul of music."
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It's a Saturday afternoon show, so it works if you want to catch some live music before your evening gets going. The set is at 5:30 PM at Rudy's Jazz Room, 809 Gleaves Street, and it's $15 at the door.
