Mark Scott III feat. Rudy Royston

Austin Live Music Fund & Monks Jazz Presents: Mark Scott III feat. Rudy Royston! Local Jazz Guitarist Mark Scott III features drummer Rudy Royston (first-call drummer with Bill Frisell, Dave Douglas, JD Allen, and others) at Monks Jazz Club on September 20th at 07:30pm. Mark Scott III - Guitar James Suter - Bass Rudy Royston - Drums About Rudy Royston: Born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Royston has been a professional teacher, drummer and percussionist for almost twenty years. He studied classical percussion at University of Denver where he earned undergraduate degrees in Music and English, and accomplished teacher certification credentials from Metropolitan State College of Denver. Rudy grew up playing drums in church, and found his voice under the auspices of Colorado’s celebrated trumpeter Ron Miles, whom Royston deems his greatest influence, and with whom Rudy has played since 1991. He has taught, recorded and performed all styles of music from Jazz to marching percussion. Since moving to Piscataway, New Jersey in 2006, Royston has completed a Masters in Music degree from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and performed with many of today’s finest Jazz musicians. Javon Jackson, Bill Frisell, Les McCann, David Gilmore, Ben Allison, Jason Moran, JD Allen, Sean Jones, Jeremy Pelt, Greg Osby, Jennifer Holiday, Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Bowen, Bruce Barth, George Colligan, Don Byron, Stanley Cowell, Tom Harrell, John Ellis, Jenny Scheinmenn and The Mingus Big Band, to name a few. A lover of all genres of music, Rudy continues to pursue music and expand his music horizons. About Mark Scott: Austin-based guitarist, composer, and educator Mark Scott III has emerged as a distinct voice in the modern jazz landscape, blending technical precision with a deeply personal, narrative approach to the instrument. His debut album, Soft Light, reached #60 on the Roots Music Report Top 100 Jazz Albums chart, marking a significant entry into the guitar trio tradition. Drawing from the lineage of Barney Kessel and Kenny Burrell, Scott’s playing is defined by what critic Brice Boorman calls a "quiet confidence," a style that rejects bravura in favor of control, patience, and the "power of less is more." Performing widely across the state, Scott has become a fixture of the Texas music scene. Originally from Dallas, Scott moved to Austin in 2021 and has called it home ever since. He has performed alongside jazz luminaries such as Branford Marsalis, Helen Sung, Rodney Whitaker, John Fedchock and others, and has collaborated internationally through tours with Finnish guitarist Niklas Winter. Whether leading his trio or contributing as a sideman, Scott’s emotive touch remains a constant, celebrated for its dynamic sensitivity and harmonic flow. Currently serving on the faculty at Tarleton State University, he mentors the next generation of musicians through applied guitar and the study of popular American music. A former Teaching Assistant at the University of Texas at Austin and a judge for the TMEA All-State jazz guitar competition, Scott bridges the gap between the classroom and the bandstand. This project is supported in part by an Austin Live Music Fund Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.