A pair of Bay Area musical treasures, jazz guitar master Rick Vandivier and vocal great Nate Pruitt, bring their longstanding musical partnership to the Joe Henderson Lab for these performances that pay homage to the soulful legacy of the Muscle Shoals studio and the iconic musicians who crafted its signature sound from the 1960s to today.

Active in the Bay Area scene for over four decades, Vandivier studied at Boston’s Berklee School with Pat Metheny and has worked with John Handy, Dr. Lonnie Smith, More Allison, Ritchie Cole, and 2021 NEA Jazz Master Albert “Tootie” Heath.

A veteran of performances with Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, and Quincy Jones, Pruitt has shared his rich tones with audiences around the world, and is an active educator, teaching voice at Gilroy’s Gavilan College.

With roots in the South Bay, the pair are known for their duo project Primary Colors – a collaboration blending jazz, blues, and soul that goes back to 1980 when both were performing at the now defunct Club Garden City in San Jose.

For this debut together as headliners in the Joe Henderson Lab, Vandivier and Pruitt salute the magic that originated at Alabama’s Muscle Shoals studio that gave a signature feel to work of Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, and Cat Stevens, among dozens of others.