Several of Music City’s finest musicians are uniting to help raise funds for our prime jazz establishment, Rudy’s Jazz Room. Sustain the Swing, a two-hour streaming event combining live and prerecorded music performances, is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, May 2, via Rudy’s Facebook page.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been vicious and brutal in many ways. In addition to the virus’s global death toll, there’s been a huge negative impact on the entertainment industry as music venues, including Rudy’s, have had to shut down on what’s hopefully a temporary basis. But as has always been the case, the music’s players and advocates are resilient. Like many clubs, Rudy’s has mounted a GoFundMe campaign to help with its expenses and offer assistance for staff and musicians. All money collected during Sustain the Swing will contribute to the fund.
“We’re in a difficult spot, as are all the small clubs across the city,” Rudy’s co-founder Adam Charney tells the Scene. “We’re fighting for our existence. We were among the first places to close, and we’ll be last to reopen, and then we’ll have rules that will greatly govern our chance for survival. But we’re very excited about this event. We’ve had so many musicians contact us and ask, ‘What can we do to help?’ ”
The Wooten Brothers
The Wooten Brothers, whose late brother Rudy is the club’s namesake, are the headliners and will be the only musicians performing from the venue. Greg Pogue, host of Nashville Jazz on Acme Radio, will serve as the event’s emcee. While the lineup was still being finalized at press time, other artists who have confirmed their participation include pianists Jody Nardone and Bruce Dudley, who play Rudy’s often. The husband-and-wife duo of Greg Bryant and Dara Tucker, who also frequently played Rudy’s until they moved to New York City at the beginning of the year, will also play.
The plight of Rudy’s reflects how difficult recent weeks have been in the world of jazz — a music of great cultural significance that can be challenging to sustain economically. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and it’s hard to imagine a gloomier one. Several greats have died, including reed player Giuseppi Logan and bassist Henry Grimes, free-jazz instrumentalists who returned to the limelight in recent years after long absences. Both died from complications of COVID-19. The fallout from shelter-in-place orders has legendary sites like New York’s Village Vanguard facing possible extinction.
Sustain the Swing, at least, will be a bright spot for area fans who haven’t had a chance to hear or see much live jazz in weeks. Charney says he’s hopeful the club can survive and eventually bounce back, but acknowledges that it’s going to take some time.
“We definitely hope to get things back going soon, but we know that there’s probably going to be some restrictions in place we’ll have to work around,” says Charney. “We certainly want to keep Rudy’s going as a place for great jazz, and we’re hoping the jazz community and everyone who values good music will check out this event.”
