Just before he embarked on Dream Theater’s 40th Anniversary Tour, keyboard maestro Jordan Rudess took time out to discuss his soaring new solo album, Permission To Fly, telling Prog about defying expectations, teaming up with his linguist daughter and working with That Joe Payne on the project.
Jordan Rudess is renowned for dazzling technical keyboard skills that have been proudly placed under the spotlight on Dream Theater’s albums for the last 25 years. Such skills can lead to unfair assumptions as to the nature of his solo work.
True, there have been releases, such as the blazing Rhythm Of Time, that contain the wonderful bombast of his Dream Theater work. Yet he’s also capable of writing perfectly-pitched classical pieces. Now, returning with Permission To Fly, his intention is somewhat different, with a clear adoption of a song-based approach – augmented by fleeting keyboard gymnastics – that generates the aura of a real band.
“Going into this, I wanted to do the coolest thing that would have legs into the future,” says Rudess. “People around me, and also myself, thought I should put together a band project, something I just can carry over. So that was one of the definite goals. I wanted to create an album that had a good amount of vocal sections in it, unlike some of my solo progressive rock albums which are mostly instrumental.
“I really wanted to find that balance. I listen to a lot of vocal music and I like music that’s not necessarily so totally insane or crazy too. It was important to find that mix of songs, but also contain the ‘Jordan wild madness.’”
Key to this approach was locating a singer who shared his vision and was capable of adding their own idiosyncrasies without Rudess taking a hands-on approach. With a short time frame prior to the commencement of Dream Theater’s album writing sessions, that recruitment was a crucial requirement. Fortunately, a mutual acquaintance suggested British singer That Joe Payne would be a willing and inspired foil.
“Right before Dream Theater started to write, that’s when I found a window of opportunity,” Rudess says. “It gets very intense once you make the decision that you’re diving in. You’re putting everything into it and closing out the outside world. I was able to find a slot to do that and then I was in a good place.
“As I was finishing my keyboards, I was getting tracks to Joe Payne and I was a little nervous. I knew I was about to get really busy with Dream Theater and I didn’t know exactly what Joe’s capabilities were. I was thinking that I might have to write harmonies for him while I was in the studio with the guys. But Joe was amazing. He’s just such a capable musician in that he made sense out of everything I sent him.
There are many things I like to express musically that aren’t related to Dream Theater. It’s important that I can find my voice
“I was looking for a voice that I felt would really work as a tonal instrument in the context of the music. Joe’s got a really beautiful voice and it really worked. So I was very comfortable with the idea of him singing on my album. He delivered the goods and it sounded great. I think it opens up the audience and the stylistic window to more than just what I could offer alone.
“But let’s be honest – in the Dream Theater world you’re always going to get someone expressing some dissatisfaction, because it’s one of the toughest audiences on planet Earth.”
Solo albums can be a vehicle to release musical ideas and themes that didn’t make it through a band’s committee. It’s a concept that Rudess acknowledges, admitting he’d amassed a sizable collection of material to choose from. “I’m definitely not someone who is short on musical ideas,” he says with a laugh.
“For me, it’s easier than any other form of communication. I’ll sit at the piano and do a lot of improvisation. I’ll get in a mood and have something to express emotionally. Literally, I’ll sit down and just start to play. Over the last year or so, I would capture those moments – if I was feeling something I’d just quickly record it. I got to a point where I was like, ‘OK, I can now create this album.’
“In my musical world there’s definitely a line of what I know will work with Dream Theater. But I play different kinds of music – I’m the classical pianist that somehow turned into a prog metal keyboardist. There are many things that I like to express musically that aren’t necessarily related to what I do with Dream Theater. It’s important that I can find my voice within my own solo albums.”
The guitar fretboard is an entity all to itself. All those dots and spaces… It’s hard, but I enjoy that challenge
Key to that on Permission To Fly has been the input of his daughter, Ariana, who provided a valuable sounding board for Rudess and also wrote the album’s lyrics. “Ariana helped me to sort through all the ideas,” he recalls. “I’d ask her what she thought; which of those little pieces really resonated with her. We would come to a conclusion, and then I would use that in the studio. I’d write around that inspiration.
“I do actually like writing lyrics, but I don’t get to do it in Dream Theater. When I write lyrics I’m mostly concerned with the way they feel and the way they sound. That’s my specialty in the lyrical domain. When I was forming the concept for this album, I thought, ‘There are a lot of people out there who aren’t just listening to the music; they really care about the lyrical content. They might even care more about the lyrics than they do the music.’
“So I felt that I could give the lyric job to someone else; and I couldn’t think of anybody better to give it to than my daughter. She’s a linguist, amazing with language, and has been studying prog from the moment she was born. It’s ingrained in her. She just handled it beautifully – I didn’t have that much to change. Occasionally I’d suggest changing a word, so it flowed with the rhythm or the sound of a melody line, but it really was a successful collaboration.”
Rudess is known for his obsession with technology, developing sounds and music apps that add versatility to the keyboard. Such dalliances unquestionably have their place – but there’s also the risk that the tech becomes an obstructive influence, especially when trying to conjure new melodies and songs. “Considering who I am, and my passion for all the different kinds of instruments, that could be a problem,” he ponders.
“But when I’m working on a big project, like an album or composing, I’m in the mindset where I don’t want things to get in the way. I just have a master keyboard and my computer. I’ve got a gazillion beautiful colours of sound, software synthesisers and a room full of keyboards; but, these days, I’m not going to grab my Continuum Fingerboard.
I would like to organise another album with this band… I am really looking at this for the long term
“As much as I love experimenting and finding value in different kinds of instruments, I stay focused. Primarily, I’m a keyboard player; that’s the way I think and that’s the clearest way for me to communicate. So that’s what happens 97 per cent of the time when I’m in the studio working.”
Aside from steering into a song-based sphere, Rudess has also provided a surprise by adding his own guitar playing to the album. While the main guitars on the recording are the feisty performances of Steve Dadaian and Bastian Martinez, Rudess reveals a certain pride that his musical chops have expanded into another realm.
“I played three different guitar solos on the album myself, which is a new thing – I’ve never recorded myself playing the guitar,” he says. “I’ve been playing as a serious hobby for the last few years. I’ll pick up my acoustic and it really is a challenge for me – as the guitar functions in a way that’s a different language.
“I feel like it opens up my brain and it keeps me growing. Some people think there are a lot of similarities between the piano and guitar. Well, maybe there are; but really the fretboard is an entity all to itself. All those dots and spaces. It’s hard, but I enjoy that challenge.”
Following on from a performance with his band at Cruise To The Edge earlier this year – which hinted at an ongoing project – is Rudess hopeful that there may be further live dates and recordings with this line-up? “I’m definitely interested in carrying forward. The prog cruise was really fun and I would love to do it in the future.
‘But as you know, I’m about to be involved in the wildest, craziest schedule imaginable with Dream Theater for at least a year. So let’s see what happens. I would like to organise another album with this band, and that would be a better time to think about going out and doing some shows. I am really looking at this for the long term.”
