Sam's Corner - Sam Rudin Duo with Charles McNeal

Charles McNeal's powerful and passionate virtuosity can be attested to by all who have heard or played with him. His impressive list of Jazz and R&B collaborators include national names such as McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, & Boz Scaggs, and local heroes Lavay Smith, Brenda Boykin, and - on our stage - Faye Carol.

Is Charles the finest saxophonist in all of NorCal? Well, that is a subjective judgement. But the fact remains, if you ask any musician who has ever crossed his path, "hey, what do you think of Charles McNeal?" you will get a string of superlatives, delivered with head-shaking wonderment.

Sam Rudin is, of course, the owner/creator of The Back Room. He is also a top-notch pianist whose versatility encompasses the whole range of 20th century music. He can evoke the spirit of Fats Waller, Oscar Peterson, Mose Allison, and Jerry Lee Lewis - sometimes all at the same time. He is also a compelling vocalist whose rough-hewn voice conveys both drama and humor.

Sam is a fearless, jump-off-the-cliff improviser, and he is very excited that his high energy performance style will be more than met by this world-class saxophonist.