Gregory Tardy

Nationally-acclaimed saxophonist Gregory Tardy comes to the Jazz Cave at the Nashville Jazz Workshop on Saturday, January 28th, 2023. He brings a top-notch band, Taber Gable (piano), Jon Hamar (bass), and Dave Potter (drums) for what is sure to be a memorable night of Jazz. The concert starts at 7:30pm CST (Doors at 7:00pm).

LIVE PERFORMANCE TICKETS ($35)

“With every release he takes another step forward establishing himself as one of the most important saxophonists of his generation.” – All About Jazz

The clip above is from Tardy’s latest release, “Sufficient Grace” on WJ3 Records. The CD features a star-studded cast, including trumpeter Marcus Printup, drummer Willie Jones III, pianist Keith Brown, and bassist Sean Conley.

Saxophonist, multi-reedist, and composer Gregory Tardy is one of the most versatile jazz musicians of his generation, equally comfortable in a variety of musical and improvisational situations.  Born into a musical family, he began his musical career studying classical clarinet. In his early 20s, while preparing for a symphony career he discovered jazz saxophone and hasn’t looked back.

In 1992, he started playing with the legendary drummer, Elvin Jones, and he recorded his first CD, Crazy Love. As a sought after sideman he has played with many prominent jazz artists including: Andrew Hill, Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Steve Coleman, Betty Carter, Don Byron, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali, Ellis Marsalis, Brian Lynch, John Patitucci, and many more.

He has also performed and/or recorded along with many other notable saxophonists, such as Joe Lovano, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Dewey Redman, Ravi Coltrane, and others. In more recent years, Tardy has gone full circle, by focusing on his clarinets more, using them on recordings by Tom Harrell, Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow, Stefan Harris, Chris Potter and Andrew Hill.

His performance schedule has taken him all over the world, playing at all of the major jazz festivals and on some of the biggest stages in jazz.  As a sideman, he has been featured on several Downbeat Albums of the Year and also several Grammy nominated recordings; including a Grammy winning CD with Brian Lynch in 2006.  He also has recorded fourteen CDs under his own name featuring his unique compositions, blending his love of traditional jazz with a more modern seeking style. His latest project, If Time Could Stand Still, was released in the fall of 2020 on WJ3 Records.

Here’s what others have said about Gregory Tardy:

“Truly an awesome leader-performer and you’ll revel in his inventiveness and finesse. Tardy is THE new talent to watch.” – Jazz & Blues Report

“Big sound, deep seated feel for the blues, and cerebral avante-garde chops.” – New York Magazine

“Until you master the blues, anything else you do in jazz is going to sound hollow. Gregory Tardy has not made that mistake.” – The Washington Post

“Music is an expression of the soul and I always try to speak through my horn,” says Gregory Tardy. “I once heard an older musician say ‘it is better to be felt than to be heard’. I never forgot that. That is my approach to playing any style of music.”

Policies: The Jazz Cave is a BYOB establishment, with no alcohol or food service. You are free to bring alcoholic beverages and snacks. We sell soft drinks and bottled water. The Jazz Cave is a listening room, and we ask patrons to keep conversation to a minimum and silence cell phones. Audio and video recording is prohibited. TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. We do not issue refunds. Masks are recommended for all patrons.