Jordan Rudess — Musical Maverick and Keyboardist Extraordinaire
They call him “The Keyboard Wizard.”
His real name, however, is Jordan Rudess. Most people know Rudess as the keyboardist in the famous progressive rock band Dream Theater, but Jordan wasn’t always headed toward the path of rock and roll legend. He had much to learn and a long way to go before becoming synonymous with musical magic. And yet, even as a boy, Jordan showed a keen interest and aptitude for music.
Jordan Rudess was born in 1956 and hails from the region of Great Neck, New York. He began playing the piano at a young age, and one of the first people to recognize Jordan’s musical potential was his second grade teacher, who recommended that he be given professional piano lessons. At only nine years old, Jordan entered into the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division for classical piano training.
From that point on, Jordan’s tastes in music started to shift away from classical piano and toward slick synth sounds and progressive rock. This move created a wedge between his parents and teachers, who strongly urged him to continue his classical studies. Going against their wishes, Jordan would go on to try his luck in the rock and roll arena.
Beginning in the 1980s, Jordan was involved in several musical projects. His first splash in the international headlines happened in 1994, when he was voted as “Best New Talent” in a Keyboard Magazine poll. His victory drew the attention of Dream Theater and The Dixie Dregs. Both bands invited him to join their ranks.
Jordan ended up choosing a part-time gig with the Dregs, which gave him more time with his young family. It was during his time with the Dregs that he formed a powerful duo with drummer Rob Morgenstein. The duo began by complete accident during one of the Dregs’ shows. A power outage had knocked out all of the band’s instruments except for Jordan’s keyboard and Rob’s (thankfully non-electric) drums. Jordan and Rob started an intense jam session and were able to save the show.
In 1997, during a recording session for his band Liquid Tension Experiment, Jordan had his second fateful encounter with Dream Theater. Jordan had been recording with Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy for one of Liquid Tension Experiment’s albums. Mike quickly became impressed with Jordan’s talent, and knew that the skilled keyboardist would make the perfect addition to Dream Theater. Jordan was invited to join the band for a second time, an offer he finally accepted.
Jordan has been the full-time keyboardist for Dream Theater since the band’s 1999 album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. Together, he and his fellow bandmates have recorded eight other studio albums and have played shows in just about every corner of the world.
Since joining Dream Theater, Jordan has also been involved in many solo albums, side projects, and shows. In 2010, he founded a software company called Wizdom Music, which produces programs and games designed to help musicians of all stripes create sounds and record music.
Of course, Jordan Rudess’ story hasn’t yet reached its conclusion. Today, Jordan tries to balance his time between work and his family, often wishing that every day had 48 hours instead of 24. While Jordan has mastered many of the secret arts of keyboard playing, he still tries as hard as he can to learn new moves and techniques.
When asked where he sees himself in twenty years, Jordan replied: “Sitting in a room manipulating sound and light from a super holographic keyboard controller. This would include air depth and field manipulation as well as neuron density and cerebral spatial control.” To this day, no one knows if that was a joke, or Jordan’s ultimate plan to become Supreme Keyboard Master. Maybe, sometime far off into the future, we’ll finally discover the truth…
