Here are some interesting facts about Jordan Rudess, mostly known as "Dream Theater" keyboard player:
(Photo: Fanart.TV)
= He was born Jordan Charles Rudes, on November 4, 1953 in New York, raised in a Jewish family.
= In second grade, his teacher noticed his piano talent, leading to professional instruction soon after.
= At age 9, he was accepted into the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division for classical piano, where he studied under Katherine Parker and Adele Marcus.
= His early theory instructor at Juilliard was future collaborator Joseph Lyons.
= Rudess studied classical piano at Juilliard for seven years.
= A Juilliard teacher took him to the Fillmore East to see "The Who" performing "Tommy" when he was 13 years old.
= By his late teens, he developed a keen interest in synthesizers and progressive rock, influenced by Jon Lord’s Hammond organ sound.
= He discovered progressive rock via "Emerson, Lake & Palmer" album "Tarkus".
= He also Cites keyboardists like Keith Emerson, Tony Banks, Rick Wakeman and Patrick Moraz, guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, and bands like "Genesis", "Yes", "Gentle Giant", "Pink Floyd", "Emerson, Lake & Palmer", "King Crimson" as major influences.
= Despite Juilliard training, he decided against a classical career, pursuing progressive rock against his family’s and teachers’ advice.
= One of his earliest bands was "Complex", an "electronic space music" group he formed with his former Juilliard instructor, Joseph Lyons.
= In 1977 "Complex" performed at Hansen Galleries in New York, earning positive reviews from The New York Times.
= That same year, he worked at Lexington Conservatory Theatre with Lyons, composing scores for productions, including "The Prevalence of Mrs. Seale".
Rudess played drums briefly, even recording the song "Bring the Boys Back Home," for "Pink Floyd's" during "The Wall" sessions, though his part was rejected by producer Bob Ezrin.
= In 1980 Rudess joined "Speedway Boulevard", a studio project by Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz, which after releasing one album disbanded without live performances.
= He released his first solo album, "Arrival", in 1988 focusing on electronic and progressive music.
= By 2024 he release no less then 21 albums as a solo artist.
= During the 1980s Rudess participated in various projects, establishing his name as a versatile session musician.
= In 1994 he was voted "Best New Talent" by Keyboard magazine readers following the release of his second solo album "Listen", catching the attention of The "Dixie Dregs" and "Dream Theater" whom invited him to join.
= He chose "Dixie Dregs" over "Dream Theater" due to family commitments, marking his first high-profile gig.
= After a power outage during a "Dixie Dregs" show, leaving Rudess and drummer Rod Morgenstein to improvise on stage until power was restored, they formed the power due "Rudess/Morgenstein Project" and have since released a studio album and a live record.
= One of the tracks on the "Rudess/Morgenstein Project" album is called "Masada" - influenced by the ancient fortification in southern Israel.
= In 1997, Rudess joined the "Magna Carta" supergroup "Liquid Tension Experiment" with John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, and Tony Levin.
= Up until 2021 he released 3 albums with this supergroup including "Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE3".
= Impressed by his work with "Liquid Tension Experiment", "Dream Theater" asked him to join in 1999, replacing Derek Sherinian.
= In 1999 Rudess’s released his first album with "Dream Theater" - "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory", which became one of their most acclaimed releases.
= Since then Ruddes was part of every "Dream Theater" Album, including 10 studio albums susch as "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", "Octavarium", "Systematic Chaos" and many more.
= In the album "Octavarium" Rudess started playin lap steel guitar and continuum in addition to all keyboards.
= In 2001 Rudess released the album "An Evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess", showcasing his collaboration with John Petrucci and his interest in emulating guitar techniques on keyboards.
= In 2004 Rudess released the album "Rhythm of Time", featuring guest musicians like Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore and Steve Morse.
= In 2005 Rudess supported "Blackfield" on their first U.S. tour and later opened on their second tour in 2007.
= This freindship with "Blackfield" Member led Aviv Geffen to invite him as a special guest in his show in Israel in 2006.
= In 2010, Rudess composed "Explorations for Keyboard and Orchestra," his first classical composition.
= The same year he started "Wizdom Music", a company specializing in innovative music software.
= He said that upon receiving the news that Mike Portnoy was exiting the band in 2010, he sat on the steps of his studio and wept.
= In 2011 he was voted “Best Keyboardist of All Time” in a "MusicRadar" poll.
= In 2013 Rudess released "Levin Minnemann Rudess" album, that was a collaboration with bassist Tony Levin and drummer Marco Minnemann.
= The same year he contributed to "Ayreon’s" "The Theory of Everything" album.
= Rudess is also a great guitar player, he can even play keyboards and guitar at the same time, see here:
= His solo album "Wired For Madness" from 2019 features guests musicians like James LaBrie and John Petrucci, Rod Morgenstein, Marco Minnemann and even Joe Bonamassa.
= When "Dream Theater" covered full albums by "Iron Maiden" ("The Number Of The Beast") and "Metallica" ("Master Of Puppets"), he had to learn how to play the second guitar parts on the keyboard.
= Rudess developed instructional series, including Keyboard Wizardry, Total Keyboard Wizardry, Keyboard Wisdom, and Keyboard Madness.
= During the years he collaborated and guest appeared in many artists albums such as: Vinnie Moore, Annie Haslam, Neal Morse, Steven Wilson, the Israeli composer/producer Eyal Amir and more.
= In October 13, 2024 he released his debut episode of "The Jordan Rudess Podcast"
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