Jordan Rudess
428886
225386380
2008-07-13T12:06:43Z
90.197.35.15
/* External links */
{{Infobox musical artist
|Name = Jordan Rudess
|Img = Jordan Rudess2 (H.I).jpg
|Img_capt = Jordan Rudess with Dream Theater 2007
|Img_size =
|Landscape =
|Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
|Birth_name = Jordan Rudes
|Alias =
|Born = {{birth date and age|1956|11|4|mf=y}}
|Died =
|Instrument = [[Keyboard instrument|Keyboards]], [[Lap steel guitar]], [[Electric guitar]], [[Singer|Vocals]], [[Continuum (instrument)|Continuum]], [[Keytar]]
|Genre = [[Progressive rock]], [[Progressive metal]], [[Instrumental rock]], [[Jazz fusion]], [[New Age music|New Age]], [[Intelligent dance music|IDM]]
|Occupation = [[Musician]], [[Songwriter]]
|Years_active = 1981 - present
|Label =
|Associated_acts = [[Dream Theater]], [[Dixie Dregs]], [[Liquid Tension Experiment]], [[John Petrucci]], [[Rod Morgenstein]], [[David Bowie]], [[Vinnie Moore]], [[Nóirín Ní Riain]], [[Rhonda Larson]], [[Paul Winter]], [[Scott McGill]], [[Prefab Sprout]], [[Jupiter (band)|Jupiter]], [[Neal Morse]], [[Daniel J]], [[Neil Zaza]], [[John-Luke Addison]], [[Behold... The Arctopus]], [[Liquid Trio Experiment]], [[Ricky Garcia]]
|URL = http://www.jordanrudess.com
}}
'''Jordan Rudess''' (born '''Jordan Rudes''' on [[November 4]], [[1956]]) is a [[progressive rock]] [[keyboardist]] best known as a member of the [[progressive metal]] band [[Dream Theater]].
==Biography==
Rudess was born in 1956 into a Jewish family. He was recognized by his 2nd grade teacher for his piano playing and was immediately given professional tuition. At nine, he entered the [[Juilliard|Juilliard School of Music]] Pre-College Division for classical piano training, but by his late teens he had grown increasingly interested in [[synthesizer]]s and progressive rock music. Against the counsel of his parents and tutors, he turned away from classical piano and tried his hand as a solo prog rock keyboardist.<ref>Stefanis, J. [http://www.getreadytorock.com/rock_stars/jordan_rudess.htm "Interview with Jordan Rudess"], Get Ready to ROCK!, 2004</ref>
After performing in various projects during the 1980s, he gained international attention in 1994 when he was voted "Best New Talent" in the ''Keyboard Magazine'' readers' poll after the release of his ''[[Listen]]'' solo album. Two of the bands who took notice of Rudess were [[The Dixie Dregs]] and [[Dream Theater]], both of whom invited him to join. Rudess chose the Dregs, primarily as being a part time member of the band would have less of an impact on his young family, a choice he was not given with Dream Theater.<ref>[http://www.dtfaq.com/category/7#40 "Dream Theater FAQ"]</ref>
Rudess is also noted for composing the [[Toys "R" Us]] theme tune, from their highly popular adverts during the 1990s. {{Fact|date=May 2008}}
During his time with the Dregs, Rudess formed a "power duo" with drummer [[Rod Morgenstein]]. The genesis of this pairing occurred when a power outage caused all of the Dregs' instruments to fail except Rudess', so he and Morgenstein improvised with each other until power was restored and the concert could continue. The chemistry between the two was so strong during this jam that they decided to perform together on a regular basis (under the name ''Rudess/Morgenstein Project'' or later ''RMP'') and have since released a studio and a live record.
Rudess encountered Dream Theater once again when he and Morgenstein secured the support slot on one of Dream Theater's North American tours.
In 1997, when [[Mike Portnoy]] was asked to form a [[Supergroup (bands)|supergroup]] by [[Magna Carta Records]], Rudess was chosen to fill the keyboardist spot in the band, which also consisted of [[Tony Levin]] and Portnoy's Dream Theater colleague [[John Petrucci]]. During the recording of [[Liquid Tension Experiment]]'s two albums, it became evident to Portnoy and Petrucci that Rudess was what Dream Theater needed. They asked Rudess to join the band, and when he accepted they released their then-keyboardist [[Derek Sherinian]] to make way for him.
Rudess has been the full-time keyboardist in Dream Theater since the recording of 1999's ''[[Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory]]''. He has recorded 4 other studio albums: 2002's ''[[Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence]]'', 2003's ''[[Train of Thought (Dream Theater album)|Train of Thought]]'', 2005's ''[[Octavarium]]'', and 2007's ''[[Systematic Chaos]]''. In addition, he has appeared on the live albums ''[[Live Scenes From New York]]'', ''[[Live at Budokan (Dream Theater)|Live at Budokan]]'' and ''[[Score (album)|Score]]''.
Rudess says his influences as a keyboardist are [[Keith Emerson]], [[Rick Wakeman]] and [[Patrick Moraz]].<ref name="Jordan Rudess, Influences">[http://faq.dtnorway.com/question/41 faq.dtnorway.com | Who are Jordan's influences?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. His favourite bands include [[Gentle Giant]], [[Yes (band)|Yes]], [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], [[Pink Floyd]], [[Emerson Lake and Palmer]], [[King Crimson]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Autechre]], and [[Aphex Twin]].<ref name="Jordan Rudess, Influences 2">[http://www.jordanrudess.com/jr/ Jordan Rudess.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
==Use of technology==
While many keyboard players in progressive rock tend towards bringing numerous keyboards on stage, Rudess took full advantage of the possibilities offered by the [[Kurzweil Music Systems|Kurzweil]] K2600xs during his usage from the 1990s to 2004. Often sampling sounds from other keyboards, Rudess creates a series of setups, each of which maps different sounds to different layers and key ranges of the keyboard controller; these setups are then arranged in the order they will be required for a gig, and cycled through one at a time with a control pedal.
While Rudess' physical method of changing live setups will more than likely remain the same, his choice of hardware to implement this changed as of 2005. Citing a need for better tour support and more current technologies (his Kurzweil 2600's maximum sample memory of 128 MB had become insufficient for his touring needs), Rudess switched keyboard endorsements from Kurzweil to [[Korg]]'s new flagship [[Korg Oasys]] workstation (which supports up to 2 GB of sample memory <ref>[http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=2432]</ref>), which he first used on Dream Theater's 2005-2006 20th Anniversary tour, along with a Receptor and a [[Continuum (instrument)|Haken Continuum]] triggering a [[Roland Corporation|Roland V-Synth XT]] and a [http://www.Synthesizers.com Synthesizers.com] Modular. Rudess is the first keyboardist to bring a Haken Continuum on to a live stage.
{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
On Dream Theater's 2007-2008 "Chaos in Motion" world tour, Rudess' rig features serveral new devices; a Korg Radias, a Manikin Memotron <ref>[http://www.manikin-electronic.com/en/products_memotron.html]</ref>, and a Zen Riffer [[keytar]]. Rudess stopped using his Synthesizers.com modular after the European leg of the tour. During the Progressive Nation, he introduced on the stage a [[Kaoss Pad]] 3 for the medley.
==Equipment==
*Studio Equipment
**[[Korg OASYS]]
**[[Korg Triton]] Extreme
**[[Continuum (instrument)|Haken Audio Continuum Fingerboard]]
**Muse Research Receptor
**[[Kurzweil Music Systems|Kurzweil]] K2600xs fully loaded 88 note weighted keyboard
**[[Kurzweil Music Systems|Kurzweil]] K2600 Rack modules
**[[Kurzweil Music Systems|Kurzweil]] K2000VP keyboard
**[[Kurzweil Music Systems|Kurzweil]] PC2 rack
**[[Roland Fantom-X]]8
**[[Minimoog Voyager]]
**[[Roland Corporation|Roland]] V-Synth XT
**[[Roland Corporation|Roland]] VP-550
**[[Roland Corporation|Roland]] SH-201
**[http://www.synthesizers.com Synthesizers.com] Modular synthesizer
**[[Dave Smith (engineer)|Dave Smith]] Instruments Evolver Keyboard
**Lap steel guitar
**[[Music Man (company)|Music Man]] [[John Petrucci]] 6 string guitars
**[[PRS Guitars|PRS]] 6 string guitar
**Moog [[Little Phatty]]
*[[Software synthesizer|Virtual Instruments]]*
**[[MOTU]] MachFive
**[[MOTU]] MX4 Soft Synth
**[[Korg Legacy Collection|Korg Legacy]]
**Spectrasonics Atmosphere
**Spectrasonics Trilogy
**Spectrasonics Stylus
**[[Native Instruments]] [[Komplete 2]]
**Native Instruments [[Absynth]]
**Native Instruments [[B4 Organ|B4]]
**Native Instruments [[Guitar Rig]]
**Native Instruments [[FM7]]
**Native Instruments [[Pro 53]]
**Synthogy Ivory
*Live Rig
**Korg OASYS 88
**Korg Triton Extreme 88 (Solo Project)
**Freehand Systems Music Pad Pro
**Muse Receptor
**Synthesizers.com Custom Modular Synth (currently retired)
**Haken Continuum Fingerboard
**(2)Roland V-Synth XT
**[[Lap steel guitar]]
**Mackie 1604VLZ Pro Mixer
**APS Power backup
**Glyph and Iomega Hard drives
**Roland VP-550
**Zen Riffer ZR2
**Korg Radias (Chaos in motion tour)
**Korg Kaoss Pad 3
==Discography==
===Solo albums===
* ''[[Arrival (Jordan Rudess album)|Arrival]]'' (Cassette) (1988)
* ''[[Listen (Jordan Rudess album)|Listen]]'' (CD) (1993)
* ''[[Secrets of the Muse]]'' (CD) (1997)
* ''[[Resonance (Jordan Rudess album)|Resonance]]'' (CD) (1999)
* ''[[Feeding the Wheel]]'' (CD) (2001)
* ''[[4NYC]]'' (CD) (2002)
* ''[[Christmas Sky]]'' (CD) (2002)
* ''[[Rhythm of Time]]'' (CD) (2004)
* ''[[Prime Cuts (Jordan Rudess album)|Prime Cuts]]'' (CD) (2006, compilation)
* ''[[The Road Home (Jordan Rudess album)|The Road Home]]'' (CD) (2007, tribute album)
===Dream Theater===
* ''[[Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory]]'' (CD) (1999)
* ''[[Live Scenes from New York]]'' (3CD) (2001)
* ''[[Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York]]'' (VHS/DVD) (2001)
* ''[[Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence]]'' (2CD) (2002)
* ''[[Train of Thought (Dream Theater album)|Train of Thought]]'' (CD) (2003)
* ''[[Live at Budokan (Dream Theater)|Live at Budokan]]'' (2DVD/3CD) (2004)
* ''[[Octavarium]]'' (CD) (2005)
* ''[[Score (album)|Score]]'' (2DVD/3CD) (2006)
* ''[[Systematic Chaos]]'' (CD) (2007)
===Project albums===
* ''[[Rudess/Morgenstein Project]]'' (CD) (1997)
* ''[[An Evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess]]'' (CD) (2000)
* Rudess/Morgenstein Project - ''[[The Official Bootleg]]'' (CD) (2001)
===Liquid Tension Experiment===
* ''[[Liquid Tension Experiment (album)|Liquid Tension Experiment]]'' (CD) (1998)
* ''[[Liquid Tension Experiment 2]]'' (CD) (1999)
* ''[[Spontaneous Combustion (album)|Spontaneous Combustion]]'' (CD) (2007, as [[Liquid Trio Experiment]])
===Guest appearances===
* [[Vinnie Moore]] - ''[[Time Odyssey (album)|Time Odyssey]]'' (1988)
* [[Noirin Ni Riain]] - ''[[Celtic Soul]]'' (1996)
* [[Rhonda Larson]] - ''[[Free as a Bird (Rhonda Larson album)|Free as a Bird]]'' (1999)
* [[Paul Winter]] and [[The Earth Band]] - ''[[Journey With The Sun]]'' (2000)
* [[Scott McGill]] - ''[[Addition by Subtraction]]'' (2001)
* [[Prefab Sprout]] - ''[[The Gunman And Other Stories]]'' (2001)
* [[David Bowie]] - ''[[Heathen (album)|Heathen]]'' (2002)
* [[Jupiter (band)|Jupiter]] - ''[[Echo and Art]]'' (2003)
* [[Neal Morse]] - ''[[? (album)|?]]'' (2005)
* [[Daniel J]] - ''[[Losing Time (album)|Losing Time]]'' (2005)
* [[Neil Zaza]] - ''[[When Gravity Fails (album)|When Gravity Fails]]'' (2006)
* [[John-Luke Addison]] - ''[[Multiple Valences]]''
* [[Behold... the Arctopus]] - ''[[Skullgrid]]'' (2007)
* K3 - ''Under A Spell'' (2007)
* [[Ricky Garcia]] - ''Let Sleeping Dogs Lie'' (2008)
===Other===
* Speedway Boulevard - ''Speedway Boulevard'' (CD) (1981)
* Steinway to Heaven - [[Chopin]]'s "[[Étude Op. 10, No. 12 (Chopin)|Revolutionary Etude (Op. 10, No. 12)]]" (1996)
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.jordanrudess.com Jordan's website]
*[http://www.dreamtheater.net Dream Theater's website]
*[http://accent.jordanrudess.com Accent Magazine (Jordan's Online Magazine)]
*[http://www.jroc.us Jordan's Online Conservatory]
*[http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum/html/examples/ex232.html Jordan Rudess performing on continuum live]
*[http://www.progsounds.com/forum/showthread.php?t=303 Jordan Rudess Liquid T Lead emulation tutorial on Progsounds.com]
*[http://www.progsounds.com/forum/search.php?searchid=2499 Jordan Rudess emulated patches for various synths on Progsounds.com]
*[http://wikeyboardwizard.pbwiki.com/FrontPage Wiki about Jordan and his equipment (French & English)]
{{Dream Theater}}
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[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:American keyboardists]]
[[Category:American session musicians]]
[[Category:American electronic musicians]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Dream Theater members]]
[[Category:Dixie Dregs members]]
[[Category:American heavy metal keyboardists]]
[[Category:Jewish musicians]]
[[Category:Juilliard School of Music alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Multi-instrumentalists]]
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