Join us for Sully's Swingin' Sunday Supper, where one of Music City's top jazz and instrumental bassists Jimmy Sullivan leads a swingin' band with different special guest artists and Rudy's serves up a unique and delectable supper special just for the show!

Harmonic adaptability and rhythmic flexibility are the key attributes of any first rate bassist. Though a native born Virginian, Jimmy Sullivan has ascended to the top ranks of Music City's rhythm section comrades, proving himself a versatile and imaginative bassist on multiple occasions. He's excelled in numerous idiomatic sessions, though jazz remains a priority and key musical love. Still, he's flourished while working, recording and/or performing with such top country, rock and pop stars as Lee Ann Womack, Mandy Barnett, Mark Collie, Jason Petty, Becky Warren, Anne McCue. Calbe Caudle and Ben De La Cour among others. But most recently he's become an area favorite backing one of Nashville's most popular and beloved jazz vocalists, Stephanie Adlington.

Sullivan grew up in Reston, Virginia. Despite not having any musicians in the family, Sullivan still became enamored with music at an early age. Teaching himself to play by ear, his early apprentice came as both a singer and instrumentalist. He performed in a choir while also playing piano and clarinet. But his primary instrument became bass at 15, where he began on electric. Soon came formal jazz studies at Northern Virginia Community college, where he obtained a two-year degree before transferring to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

At VCU not only did Jimmy receive the seasoning and grounding from an exceptional program founded by the late, great, pianist/composer Ellis Marsalis, he was required to master the acoustic. That was the final step in Sullivan becoming a full-time bassist. Over the next six years, while living in Richmond, he worked in multiple settings and with a host of bands playing the full musical spectrum from classical and jazz to soul, gospel and hip-hop.

Interestingly, upon initially moving to New York, Sullivan didn't initially immerse himself in jazz like many new arrivals. Instead, folk and the gamut of styles known as Americana were how he made his livelihood for much of the next decade, while also getting married. It wasn't util 2017 that he arrived in Nashville, still married and not really even contemplating being a full-time musician much longer. But while his then wife was pursing a singer/songwriting career, a funny thing happened to Jimmy Sullivan. He moved from trying to decide whether to sell his bass to attending jam sessions, meeting fellow players and re-discovering his love for music. The flexibility that he had previously acquired made it easy for him to fit into all the contexts and situations that one encounters in a city like Nashville. Not only did he begin attracting attention from the country and western swing world, but also discovered a growing and intense jazz scene.

While he's now working regularly with Stephanie Adlington, he's also played with other Music City jazz stalwarts like Annie Selleck, Laura Mayo and Jamie Paul as well as international artists Laila Biali and Carol Welsman. He's become good friends and consistently shared the bandstand with Andy Reiss, Marcus Finnie, Geoff Pfiefer and Don Aliquo.

Jimmy Sullivan's now acclaimed not only in Nashville but throughout the region and state as a topflight player. He's already won one Nashville Music Industry Award as Best Jazz Instrumentalist in 2018, and others are sure to follow. But most importantly, Jimmy Sullivan's ferocity on the bandstand, and joy and love of playing music are infectious, and anyone who sees and hears him will immediately discover it as well as the inspiring and motivational power of great performance.

Sofia is a drummer and composer residing in Nashville, TN. She first started playing drums in middle school and was soon told that drums were a "man's instrument." In high school, her music teacher, Claudia Keller saw her passion for music and recommended that she attend Berklee. Before enrolling at Berklee College of music for her Bachelor's, Sofia was fortunate to learn and perform in a student ensemble taught by grammy award winning artist Esperanza Spalding. Esperanza's encouragement inspired Sofia to perfect her craft. After graduating Berklee, Sofia unintentionally moved to Nashville. In Nashville, Sofia's resume grew and she worked as a freelance musician and teacher. Tony Rounce of Ace Records said this about her playing at the Poretta Soul Festival in Italy: "There isn't enough time to do full justice to the qualities of every member of Heart & Soul, but it would be wrong not the spotlight the unit's brilliant drummer Sofia Goodman, whose drive and precision across 5-6 hours behind her kit each night put her in a class with any of the world's great soul drummers." Other notable performances include Bonnaroo and Floyd Fest with world folk group HuDost.

In 2017, she began leading her own group, The Sofia Goodman Group, a modern jazz ensemble that fuses American, Afro-Latin and Middle Eastern genres. They have performed at various festivals such as The Elkhart Jazz Fest (2x), The Alex City Jazz Fest, USM Jazz and Blues Fest, Fort Harrod Jazz Fest (3x), West Georgia Jazz Fest, and more. Currently she is accompanied by Troy Atkins on saxophones, Alex Murphy on piano, Serah Zhannell on percussion, Rheal Janelle on guitar and Leland Nelson on bass. Her debut album "Myriad of Flowers" was released in 2018 and was nominated by The Nashville Music Industry Awards for Best Jazz album of 2019. In 2020, Sofia was nominated by The Nashville Music Industry Awards for Best Jazz Instrumentalist. In 2021, she earned her Master's Degree in Commercial Music Composition and Media Writing at Belmont University. Recently, she won the Pathways to Jazz Grant to fund her work on her sophomore album, Secrets of the Shore, which is planned to be released in the summer of 2022. She is a Zildjian artist and is on the Vic Firth Education Team, and is dedicated to passing down her craft to future generations, especially young women, whose presence is needed in the music industry.

Saxophonist Don Aliquo continues to be one of the most active artists in the region and beyond.

He has played or recorded with many notable artists including Rufus Reid, Gary Burton, Greg Osby, Roger Humphries, Harold Danko, Jim McNeely and Obed Calvaire. Don has been described as a "fluid and articulate player with a flow of always surprising ideas complete with a dexterous technique and an incredibly smooth tenor sound." His most recent cd release (The Innocence of Spring) was recorded live with pianist Michael Jefry Stevens at Hinton Hall on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University where Aliquo is Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies.

Rounding out the rhythm section is pianist Jody Nardone, Jonathan Wires on bass, and Jordan Perlson on drums.

Composer and woodwind player David Williford returns to Rudy's for a night of improvising, dynamic compositions, and free expression.

Born and raised in Knoxville, TN, Williford had his first musical experiences playing blues, soul, and rock with his father before leaving home to study modern jazz and classical music with artists like Don Aliquo. Through his years freelancing, he has found a diverse and soulful place in the changing Nashville music scene.