The Blair Jazz Trio

Four distinguished members of the Blair School of Music faculty come together for an evening of jazz, bringing a wealth of performing, recording, touring and teaching experience to the Rudy's stage. Pianist Pat Coil, saxophonist Dan Hitchcock, bassist Rob Linton and drummer Marc Widenhofer each balance active professional careers with their work educating the next generation of musicians at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music.

Pianist Pat Coil is a member of the faculty at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music and has toured throughout Japan, South America, Europe and the U.S. with artists including Michael McDonald, Carmen McRae, Olivia Newton-John, Amy Grant, Vince Gill and Woody Herman. His extensive recording credits include Natalie Cole, Trisha Yearwood, Ernie Watts, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Kenny Rogers, Travis Tritt, Peter Cetera and Michael McDonald. During his years in Los Angeles, Coil also performed on numerous film and television scores, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Murphy Brown and Growing Pains, and appeared with artists on The Tonight Show, Arsenio Hall and Conan O'Brien. Now based in Nashville, he continues an active career as a pianist, composer, arranger, producer and educator, and has released several albums as a leader.

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Dan Hitchcock is a saxophonist with a unique, yet authentic voice. Dan is at home in a wide range of musical styles, and has spent years studying the vast lineage of saxophone greats from the last 100 years. Having a particular affinity with the romantic tenor styles of Stan Getz, Ben Webster, and Lester Young, Dan is often called an old soul. After 2 years living in Nashville, Dan has enjoyed the opportunity to perform with Nashville-based, international touring artists like Sweet Megg, Rome and Duddy, and Post Modern Jukebox, as well performing with staples of the Nashville jazz scene like Bruce Dudley, Andy Reiss, Roland Barber, Nashville Jazz Orchestra, PT Gazzell, Chris Mondak, the Sofia Goodman Group, and many others. Dan has contributed woodwinds to many recordings in the past few years, including Sofia Goodman Group's downbeat-acclaimed 2023 release "Secrets of the Shore", where Dan recorded tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones alongside world renowned tenorist Joel Frahm.

Rob Linton is a versatile bassist from Charlotte, North Carolina and a member of the jazz faculty at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music, where he teaches jazz bass and jazz combos. Linton has performed and toured with Eric Reed, Greg Tardy, Dave Potter & Retro Groove and Variego3, while also working with musicians including Don Aliquo, Taber Gable, Jonathan Barber, Stacey Dillard, Mark Boling and many others. In addition to Blair, he has taught at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Gardner-Webb University and the University of Tennessee, and previously served as bass instructor for the Knoxville Jazz Workshop. Linton holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an M.M. from the University of Tennessee.

Drummer Marc Widenhofer is an in-demand Nashville jazz musician and educator who also serves on the faculty of Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music. A versatile and dynamic drummer, Widenhofer has performed with artists including Houston Person, Roger Pemberton, Ron Bridgewater, Janguen Bae, Bert Ligon, Chip Stephens, Larry Gray, Chip McNeil and the Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra. He was also a featured artist at the 2012 Taichung International Jazz Festival, performing with the JB Trio and saxophonist Greg Osby. In addition to teaching at Blair, Widenhofer maintains an active performance schedule throughout Nashville and regularly leads his own ensembles featuring many of the city's finest jazz musicians.

Pat Coil - piano
Dan Hitchcock - saxophone
Rob Linton - bass
Marc Widenhofer - drums​