Rory and Nalani Jazz Trio

Rory and Nalani Jazz Trio play Rudy's Jazz Room on Thursday, October 22, from 9 PM to 11:15 PM. The set draws on the great American songbook, with the duo reinterpreting the classics with their own contemporary touch and pairing them with vocal duets. The instrumentation changes throughout the night, too, as Rory Hoffman handles piano, guitar, saxophone, and vocals, while Nalani takes bass and vocals.

There's a good bit of history behind the two. Rory Hoffman is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist who plays more than a dozen instruments. He's played the Grand Ole Opry, worked as a sideman for Ricky Skaggs, Kathy Mattea, and John Cowan, and performed at Telluride and Djangofest. He's a two-time ICMA Musician of the Year and was inducted into the South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012. Nalani, originally from Niwot, Colorado, studied bass under Regi Wooten after attending Victor Wooten's Bass Nature Camp and has performed with the Wooten Brothers, Marcus Miller, and Kevin Max.

Together they build their set around the American songbook, reinterpreting the classics with their own contemporary touch and pairing them with playful, heartfelt vocal duets. The variety comes from the instrumentation, vocal expression, and the musical chemistry between the two. Rudy's Jazz Room bills itself as "an authentic jazz experience in Music City USA."

The show runs from 9 PM to 11:15 PM at Rudy's Jazz Room, 809 Gleaves Street in Nashville. Tickets are $14 in advance and $16 at the door.