Lori Mechem and Roger Spencer with the George Tidwell Sextet

Friday, October 3rd, 2025, 7:30PM (doors at 7)

About the artists:

Join us at the Nashville Jazz Workshop for a truly special evening of music as Lori Mechem and Roger Spencer take the stage alongside the George Tidwell Sextet. This performance will bring together the timeless elegance of the American Songbook, classic jazz standards, and fresh original compositions - some written for past NJW concerts, others from celebrated albums featuring both Nashville and national jazz artists, and a few composed especially for this night.

Trumpeter and composer George Tidwell has been shaping Nashville’s jazz sound since 1963, with a career spanning thousands of recording sessions, television tapings, and live performances. His ensembles - from Orchestra 12 and Natural Seven to Earwitness with Randy Goodrum, BeBop Coop, and his long-running Sextet - have left an indelible mark on Music City’s jazz legacy.

Tidwell’s artistry has also been heard with some of the region’s most iconic bands, including The Beegie Adair Trio (since 1962), the Andy Goodrich Quintet, The Jazz Corp Big Band, M to the 3rd Power, the Nashville Jazz Machine (where he served as co-leader), the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, and groups led by April Barrows, Duffy Jackson, and Pat Coil.

His collaborations at NJW alone have paired him with a who’s-who of jazz excellence: Beegie Adair, Lori Mechem, Pete Christlieb, Marvin Stamm, Liz Johnson, Donna McElroy, Monica Ramey, Anthony Wilson, The Jazztet, and many more.

This concert is a celebration of George Tidwell’s remarkable contributions to jazz in Nashville, brought to life with the warmth, artistry, and swing that NJW audiences love.

George Tidwell: trumpet, arranger

Dan Hitchcock: sax

Barry Green: trombone

Lori Mechem: piano

Roger Spencer: bass

Marcus Finnie: drums