Dream Theater keyboardist and virtuoso musician/composer Jordan Rudess, will embark on an Australian & New Zealand tour this November performing his solo piano performance, From Bach To Rock: A Musician’s Journey. Rudess’ solo concert will travel through his fascinating musical journey – how a young Juilliard piano prodigy destined for a classical music career evolved into a keyboard rock star phenomenon. Fans can expect dazzling performances of material ranging from George Gershwin, David Bowie and John Lennon, through to Pink Floyd, Liquid Tension Experiment and King Crimson. And of course, fans will relish an abundance of magnificent Dream Theater material.
We caught up with Jordan ahead of the shows to talk about the tour and the musical path he took to get where he is today.
Andrew: So we last talked about a year ago before you came down to Australia with Dream Theater, so how did that end up going with you?
Jordan: Great, everything’s been good! Busy as usual, can’t complain. There’s going to be a new Dream Theater that’s coming out end of February, there’s a new Jordan Rudess rock album that’s coming out at the end of April. I’ve been doing a lot of touring on my own in the break and looking forward to coming out that way for the first time myself, out to Australia so exciting stuff going on.
Andrew: Yes, From Bach To Rock: A Musicians Journey as it’s been titled. So tell me a little about this idea and where it came from?
Jordan: So I’ve been playing piano since I was 7 years old and the piano is really my kind of homebase if you will, it’s an instrument I feel so comfortable with expressing myself. So the musicians journey is a look at my entire path from the early days of Juilliard playing classical music through the times when I was a starving musician playing in hotels and restaurants, through my time with David Bowie to Dream Theater. It’s a chance for me to kind of use the piano as a vehicle to play music and tell stories that bring people into my world and for a Dream Theater fan who thinks maybe they know all about me, there might be some real surprises. Of course for somebody who doesn’t know Dream Theater, then it’s a chance to get a close look at who I am musically. I mean I tell you everything from Bach to Chopin to Liquid Tension to Dream Theater across the night among other things, so it’s fun for me to just rake in all the different styles and get kind of more intimate with the audience and have a chance to do that.
Andrew: It sounds like it’s going to be a very interesting show with obviously a wide range of influences and different styles. So classical music was the first type of music you ever got into then?
Jordan: Yeah so I started playing at the age of 7 and I was taken to the piano but I didn’t want to read music much because I had a good ear and I just wanted to play around. But then somebody in my family circle kind of realized that I was gifted at it and took me to a more serious teacher who then prepared me to go to Juilliard, and Juilliard being one of the top music conservatories in the world, that was a very serious journey for me and I stayed at Juilliard from age 9 to 19 when I finally needed to go out and explore other styles of music.
Andrew: So at what point did you start discovering rock music then?
Jordan: Well when I was really little and really focusing on classical, I also was aware of things like the Beatles and had a bunch of the old ’45 records. I didn’t have a chance to really dive into that and get seriously into it, I was just into the fringe of the whole thing but as I got older into being a teenager then I had friends who would turn me onto some stuff they thought I would love, which I did like Genesis, Yes and Gentle Giant, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and those things had a huge influence. The thing that really led me astray from the classical way was listening to Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Tarkus” album, that was a huge influence in my life. I loved that album, I thought it was amazing and it kind of made me think there was something more beyond classical that I wanted to really know about.
Andrew: Yeah it’s interesting when you look back at the first types of music you listened to as a kid and those bands always stick in your mind through out as you get older and always remains in your DNA I suppose. When you look back at the stuff you were listening to at that time and when you listen to what you are doing now, do you see the connection between all that stuff?
Jordan: Yeah there’s a grand connection to the whole thing, from my classical playing to all the styles that I discovered along the way from the Beatles to learning a little bit of the boogie woogie and playing the blues. What’s really cool is the kind of music that I make, even with Dream Theater is a fusion of styles in itself. So all the different things that I play whether it was Bach, Mozart, Gershwin or whatever, they all can kind of come into play in the grand mix of things which I think is part of what makes what we do interesting.
Andrew: In the classical world, who do you consider to be your most favorite or most influential? I mean Bach seems to be a natural choice I suppose but is there a particular player or composer that maybe shaped the way you play or your style?
Jordan: Well because the classical repertoire is so deep, it’s hard for me to pick one. There’s certain ones in different periods of time that were most influential like Bach of course, he stands out in my mind because the kind of music or the counterpoint and the focus that’s there is very unique and I love going back to that and playing Bach. But going to the more romantic side, I was always a big Chopin lover. Just the way that Chopin approached the piano, he really understood the piano and how it would resonate and wrote all this beautiful piano music. And then the more romantic ones that came a little later like Rachmaninov and certainly getting back to Gershwin so there are stand outs within those hundreds of years for sure.
Andrew: Yeah certainly this type of music between classical music and progressive rock is I guess not for everyone but it does make you think and there’s a certain mathematics to it. Have you always had that mindset of listening to types of music that make you think and spawn that creativity?
Jordan: Yeah I mean because I got started in classical music and kind of took it from there, ‘Oh that music makes you think’. That’s where I’m coming from and what I’ve always been interested in, that’s what I mostly absorb in music. The kind of music that doesn’t make you think, well that’s generally not the kind of music I would even be interested in. But that said, I like music with functionality. I like, let’s say something that’s super mellow that you can just totally chill too or space out too, I’m not saying music always has to be a demanding academic adventure but I am saying there has to be some kind of engagement. I value the engagement, I don’t like if the listener is doing something else and hearing music in the background, that to me doesn’t have a whole lot of meaning but to allow it to engage with the music whatever that is, that’s cool.
Andrew: Now you mentioned before that you will be playing some stuff at these shows that may surprise some fans out there, what do you think is probably the most surprising thing that fans may not think you would play or be necessarily a fan of?
Jordan: I guess it depends on who the fan is I guess but they may be most surprised by my breaking into some Bach if they just know me as a prog metal keyboard player, they may not know anything beyond that.
Andrew: I’m not familiar with Bach, I’ve obviously heard of the name but when it comes to classical music I was always more of a Beethoven fan but from what I understand Bach was at his time considered the “rock” guy of classical music. Would that be a fair statement?
Jordan: Well he was cutting edge, he was doing some really cool stuff. So in that sense you could kind of say that.
Andrew: Yeah I wasn’t sure as I’ve heard people say in the metal world that he had some darker tones compared to the more romantic stuff that is out there.
Jordan: Yeah totally.
Andrew: So it’s good to see you coming back to Australia, on this tour will you also be playing some Dream Theater stuff?
Jordan: Absolutely, I wouldn’t want to come all that way and not present some Dream Theater music for people. So there will be a nice handful of Dream Theater stuff that I play which is a nice part of the program, I also pull out Liquid Tension Experiment songs for sure.
Andrew: It’s been a while since I’ve listened to that stuff actually! What’s the deal with that band now, is it on a long term hiatus?
Jordan: It doesn’t exist anymore although I guess it’s possible to reconvene as all the members are still alive but we have no plan though.
Andrew: OK and you mentioned the new Dream Theater album coming out at some point, I guess you guys have been working on that for some time then.
Jordan: We have, actually it’s been mixed as we speak and the album will be coming out at the end of February and then following that in April is my new rock solo album which is going to come out on the Mascot label.
Andrew: So a lot of things happening on the creativity front then! You must be the type of person that never really sits down and is always constantly busy working then.
Jordan: Yeah definitely, I’ve got a list of things I definitely need to get through. Most days never really get through the whole list but I do my best.
Andrew: [laughs] So getting back to Australia, you have obviously had a great relationship with the country over the years. What have been some of the highlights that you maybe care to share with the fans out there?
Jordan: With a highlight I generally don’t have much time to stroll around but occasionally I have. I’m somebody who goes around and walks into town and kind of explores so when I think back of my time in Australia in different towns, James [LaBrie] my singer and I once had a day off and we went to Perth and we went to the beach and we had a lovely day walking around, it was awesome. I’ve spent some time walking around in Melbourne which I think is a really cool town,one day I actually had enough time to have lunch down by the water.It was beautiful, I loved it. I’ve done a lot of walking in Sydney, walked down from whatever hotel I am at to the Opera house and just kind of vibe and go to the areas where there is the restaurants and bars and stuff and take it all in. That’s who I am as a touring musician I think, I put my stuff down in the hotel room and I get out and walk.
Andrew: Yeah it’s good to get out there. Is there anything in Australia that you have yet to do that you would like to do at all?
Jordan: Like a million things because I hardly get down there [laughs], I’ll add it to the list1
Andrew: [laughs] Well it’s good to see you back again and I think a lot of fans are keen to see what you have in store for all of us. Thanks for your time Jordan, really appreciate it and really looking forward to the new Dream Theater as well as your new solo record.
Jordan: Oh thanks man, thanks very much! I just want to say one final thing which is when people come out to the show and if they come to the meet and greet as well, they can expect a really intimate and engaging experience where they kind of get to know me as a person, as a musician a little bit better and really expect to be entertained as well because there’s enough variation in the program and different types of music. I’m also going to bust out my Geoshred which, I have a company called Wizdom Music with crazy instruments so in addition to blowing out on the piano, I’ll be on Geoshred as well so it’s going to be fun.
Tour Dates:
Wednesday Nov 21 Brisbane – Triffid
Thursday Nov 22 Adelaide – The Gov
Friday Nov 23 Melbourne – Art Centre Playhouse
Sunday Nov 25 Auckland Tuning Fork
Tuesday Nov 27 Sydney Opera House Studio
Wednesday Nov 28 Canberra – the Basement
Tickets: davidroywilliams.com/tours/jordanrudess
