Adam Rudolph, a native of Chicago, is known as one of the early innovators in what is now called world music. In 1977, he co-founded The Mandingo Griot Society with Gambian musician Foday Musa Suso, one of the first bands to combine African and American music. In 1988, he recorded the first fusion of American and Gnawa music with Moroccan sintir player and vocalist Hassan Hakmoun and jazz trumpet great Don Cherry. That same year, Rudolph began his association with the legendary Yusef Lateef, which continued until Lateef’s passing in 2013 to this day.
In April 2002, when Omar Sosa and his Septet arrived in Los Angeles for a run at the Jazz Bakery, it was possible for Rudolph and Sosa, two kindred spirits, to meet and make music together. The result was Pictures of Soul, a journey into the transcendent realms of the creative music process.
Pictures of Soul is an improvised music collaboration between Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and Rudolph, based in Los Angeles These two creative musicians had enjoyed each other’s work at a distance for several years. Both share an appreciation of ritual trance music.
Sosa and Rudolph both experience their art as an interactive spiritual voyage. Their approach in the studio called simply for an openness to explore musical landscapes together – without charts, without rehearsal. In Pictures of Soul, Sosa plays mostly acoustic piano, both on the keys and inside the instrument. Rudolph is featured on an array of hand drums, including jembe, tarija, dumbek and tabla.
Rudolph leads his own ensemble, Go: Organic Orchestra, an orchestral concept of world/improvisational music. In 2019, Rudolph’s Go: Organic Orchestra released an album titled Ragmala – A Garland of Ragas in cooperation with Brooklyn Raga Massive.
In 2022, Rudolph published the book “Sonic Elements: Matrices, Cosmograms and Ostinatos of Circularity,” a collection of innovative ideas about intervals, harmony, and rhythms. The 121-page spiral bound book also expands on Rudolph’s rhythm concept of “Cyclic Verticalism,” which he first presented in his 2006 book “Pure Rhythm.”
Written for performers, students, educators, and composers, as well as anyone interested in music, “Sonic Elements” is a profound contribution to books on music pedagogy and philosophy. In the introduction, Rudolph writes: “The purpose of this book is to inspire both instrumentalists and composers to look at musical elements in new ways. This is not a ‘how to’ book, nor is it meant as any kind of music theory dogma. It is simply another way of looking at music materials. When we can think and hear in new ways, we can expand our creative approach and concept.”
Rudolph developed and refined the materials in this book over a period of several years in educational settings and in concert performances with his Go: Organic Orchestra, Moving Pictures, and Hu: Vibrational ensembles.
Discography:
Gift of Gnawa (Flying Fish, 1991)
Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures (Flying Fish, 1992)
Skyway (Soul Note, 1994)
12 Arrows (Meta, 1999)
Contemplations (Meta, 1999)
Web of Light (Meta, 2003)
Dream Garden (Justin Time Records, 2008)
Turning Towards the Light (Cuneiform, 2015)
Ragmala – A Garland of Ragas (Meta Records, 2019)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.