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Jazz Pianist and composer BRUCE DUDLEY has performed at Jazz Festivals in Canada and the United States since 1974 when he was the featured “Young Talent” winner at the Wichita Jazz Festival at the age of 16. Since then he has performed across Canada, throughout the United States, and in South America, appearing in clubs, concerts, and festivals including the Houston International Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Mompox Jazz Festival in Cartagena, Colombia, Calgary Jazz Festival, Edmonton Jazz Festival, and Corpus Christi Jazz Festival.
Dudley has performed with Herb Ellis, Marvin Stamm, Eddie Daniels, Aretha Franklin, Crystal Gayle, Chester Thompson, Jamie Baum, and many others. He was the pianist for the Middle Tennessee Jazz Orchestra with whom he has performed with Randy Brecker, Eric Alexander, Kenny Werner, Scott Robinson, Jim McNeely, Tim Hagens, and the Sacred Music Concert of Duke Ellington.
Dudley’s own groups include a jazz septet and a "double quartet" - a jazz quartet plus a string quartet - for which his arrangements and compositions have received rave reviews. His recordings include "The Solo Sessions", released in 2012 on the Jazz Music City label, "Mostly Monk", released in 2010, and “Semblance”, a trio CD released in 1997. He is also heard playing on jazz singer Sandra Dudley’s CD “Close To You,” saxophonist Evan Cobb's "Falling Up," and trumpeter Imer Santiago's "Hidden Journey," among others.
Dudley is Associate Professor of Commercial Music at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and is adjunct Artist Teacher of Jazz Piano at Vanderbilt University. Dudley previously held teaching positions at Middle Tennessee State University, San Jacinto College in Houston, and St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. In 2010 Dudley earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Colorado - Boulder. His dissertation, "Cultural Osmosis as Portrayed in Duke Ellington's Far East Suite", included primary source research at the Ellington Collection in the Smithsonian Institute and resulted in a complete musical analysis of the nine pieces within the suite.
Bruce Dudley is sought after not only as a pianist but as a clinician as well. He has conducted clinics on jazz improvisation in Canada and the U.S. at Eastman School of Music, Brigham Young University, Western Washington State University, Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, Tennessee State University, Houston Community Colleges, Humber College, University of Saskatoon, University of Alabama, among others.
As a composer, Dudley has received commissions from Meet the Composer, The Commission Project, The Canadian Saxophone Quintet, East Nashville Center for the Creative Arts, and Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra.
Bruce Dudley is a Steinway Concert Artist.