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53:6 mins |
If you have any awareness of keyboards and or iPhone apps, then chances are you've come across Jordan Rudess. A classically trained pianist (Julliard School of Music) with a heavy interest in synthesizers, brought on by exposure to Moog whilst at college, he's been at the forefront of progressive rock since joining Dream Theater in 1997.
Whilst maintaining a full schedule of recording and touring he's also been able to fit in several solo works, including the just released Notes on a Dream - a pure piano album with a twist - recorded using the virtual instrument Ivory. But that's not all, his love of cuttiung edge technology in music and graphics which led him to become a fan of the Hakan Continuum also brought Apple's iPhone into focus. Jordan has since been right behind musical applications such as Bebot, and now has a collaborative project in the form of the Hexatone sequening app.
After figuring out time zones, I caught up with Jordan prior to the gig in Calgary Canada, where Dream Theater are (or rather were) as part of the Progressive Nation tour with with Dweezil Zappa (Zappa on Zappa) and Bigelf.
White iLoud monitors and a new modelling guitar pedal
CV controlled mixing console and some distinctly dirty effects
Lightweight hammer action keys that can run on batteries
Flexible and responsive polyphonic controller that you can hit with sticks