Naama Quartet

Naama Quartet plays Rudy's Jazz Room on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, with both sets starting at 8 PM. The quartet is led by Naama, a New York City jazz singer whose work draws from the direct, emotional compositions of 1930s- and 1940s-era composers and lyricists. She's joined for these dates by Nashville's own Don Aliquo on tenor saxophone and Marc Payne on piano.

Naama's path to the New York scene took a few turns. Born abroad in 1991, she spent ten years studying classical piano before deciding to sing professionally, taking lessons with Ricki Gal. In 2012 she entered the Center for Jazz Studies in Tel Aviv, where she spent three years studying jazz and classical voice, influenced by singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. She moved to New York in 2015, studied at The New School For Performing Arts, and has since shared the stage with musicians including Steve Nelson, Dave Kikoski, Bruce Barth, Michael Kanan, and David Wong, while holding a weekly residency at Mezzrow. She also teaches aspiring vocalists and instrumentalists from her Chelsea studio, where she advocates for a healthy, natural singing approach that combines speech therapy with classical technique.

Don Aliquo is a familiar name in the Nashville jazz community, active for more than two decades as a saxophonist, composer, recording artist, and educator. He'll be on tenor saxophone for these two nights, and Marc Payne will be on piano. Between Naama's New York residency and Aliquo's long presence in the city, the quartet brings together two different jazz hubs for one weekend.

Both shows are at Rudy's Jazz Room, 809 Gleaves St, in Nashville. Tickets are $23 in advance and $25 at the door, and both the Friday and Saturday sets start at 8 PM.