Adam Rudolph in Conversation with CJ Shearn
Percussionist Adam Rudolph has been called a “pioneer of world music” by the New York Times and rightly so, for the Chicago native has thrived in a variety of musical situations. In 1977 while living in Ghana he formed the important Mandingo Griot Society with legendary kora master and griot Foday Musa Suso, in 1978 he lived in Sweden and studied with Don Cherry, learning about Ornette Coleman’s harmolodic theory in the process. One of Rudolph’s biggest associations was with the late, great Dr. Yusef Lateef, a saxophonist who shared an equally borderless vision of not just combining different styles of music, but elements, a quality the percussionist feels transcends any notion of genre.
Rudolph’s new release Glare of the Tiger on his own Meta label, (the digital version of the album available through MOD technologies) expounds greatly on his theory of layered rhythms he calls Cyclic Verticalism. The new disc features a stellar cast with long time compatriots saxophonist Ralph Jones, James Hurt, cornetist Graham Haynes, the incredible Hamid Drake on drums, New York Jazz Workshop’s very own Kenny Wessel and many others. I spoke with Rudolph at length about the new recording, rhythmic concepts, the mystical power of sound, and some drummers both of us really admire, such as Hamid Drake, Art Blakey, and Tony Williams.
Thanks go to Adam Rudolph for his generous time and insight, and Antje Hubner of Hubtone PR for coordinating this interview.
I have been the staff writer for the New York Jazz Workshop School of Music blog in midtown Manhattan since 2014, and that has broadened my freelance writing skills considerably. In addition to writing artist bios, and articles of interest that pertain to the mission of the school, I have interviewed (in print on the site) legendary guitarist and NEA Jazz Master Pat Metheny, trumpeter Cuong Vu, and in 2015 embarked on producing a podcast for the school where I have achieved my dream and interviewed jazz giants such as Dave Liebman, Lenny White, rising talents like Thana Alexa, Logan Richardson, guitarist and bassist Brian Kastan, among others. I also work on SEO optimization for the blog. In 2015 I started my blog Jazz Views with CJ Shearn, and have written liner notes for 5 time Grammy winner and Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, Antonio Sanchez (for his latest recording “Channels of Energy”) and guitarist Gene Ess for his latest recording, scheduled to be released in November 2018.
My passion for jazz music is what drives me, which is an interest I’ve had since I can remember. I initially began writing about jazz at the age of 13 for my high school newspaper, and in my late teens contributed occasionally to jazzreview.com. In college I was member of the Harpur Jazz Project which brought jazz acts to campus. I’ve also contributed in the past to AllAboutJazz where I was mentored by John Kelman. I decided to focus on my passion for jazz music journalism after a job in the social services field as a caseworker went south, and as a person with a physical disability I work on going against the odds, living independently and having accomplished things people had said I’d never do.