Bruce Dudley

Biography

Dr. Bruce Dudley is Associate Professor of Music in the School of Music. A member of the faculty since 1995, he teaches graduate and undergraduate Commercial Piano,  Commercial Music Analysis, Commercial Instrumental Styles, Advanced Commercial Music Analysis, and Advanced Improvisation. Dr. Dudley has a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Colorado, a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Business and Technology from New York University. He has also studied at the Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, and earned a diploma in audio engineering from the Institute of Audio Research in New York City. He has conducted many jazz workshops throughout the United States, and has been an adjudicator at many festivals including the JENerations Jazz Festival at annual conferences of the Jazz Education Network, the Eastern Kentucky Piano Competition, for the Texas Music Educators Association, Maritime Musicfests (Canada), and for the International Association of Jazz Educators.

Dr. Dudley has been playing piano professionally for over 40 years.  His recent recordings include: Semblance, Mostly Monk, and The Solo Sessions.  One writer for Jazz Times wrote, “Bruce Dudley’s Mostly Monk respectfully takes the music of Thelonious Monk and lifts it to a new level with his musical imagination and masterful creativity.”  Rahsaan Barber, founder of Jazz Music City Records wrote, “The Solo Sessions is a fresh addition to Dudley’s discography, presenting new compositions  from the pianist as well as standards from the the Great American Songbook, all played with Dudley’s trademark lyricism, touch, and wit.”  As well as appearing as pianist on the recordings by Evan Cobb, Imer Santiago, Sandra Dudley,  Rachel Price, JazFX, and others, Dr. Dudley has performed concerts with popular and jazz artists such as Aretha Franklin, Crystal Gayle, Randy Brecker, Herb Ellis, Fraser McPherson, Eddie Daniels, George Russell, and others.  He has played keyboards in the orchestras of over 35 touring Broadway shows, including Wicked, Jersey Boys, Grease, My Fair Lady, Aida, State Fair, The King and I, Guys and Dolls, Annie, Peter Pan, and Will Rodgers Follies.  

As a composer, Dudley has written commissioned works for the Millar Brass (Chicago), The Canadian Saxophone Quintet (Toronto), CELLO (New York), Penfield Commission Project, flutest Deanna Little, and others.  He has written custom music for television (“Guiding Light”) and film libraries.  His compositions and arrangements are also featured on his CD recordings. 

In 2015, Dudley published his transcriptions of legendary jazz pianist Phineas Newborn Jr.  These are available online at www.phineasnewbornjr.org.  He is currently writing a book of Etudes for Commercial Piano.  He has presented papers and lectures at national conferences of the College Music Society, Jazz Education Network, and Learned Societies of Canada.   Since 2010, Dudley has presented lecture/concerts on the music of Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and the Modern Jazz Quartet at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville as part of the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Jazz on the Move community outreach series.

Mr. Dudley is currently a BMI writer and publisher, a member of the Nashville Association of Musicians, College Music Society, and Jazz Education Network (JEN). Click here to listen to a composition written and performed by Mr. Dudley.

Bruce Dudley is a Steinway Concert Artist.