29 Facts About Jordan Rudess

Jordan Rudess was born on Jordan Charles Rudes; November 4,1956 and is an American keyboardist, composer, and software developer, best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.

Jordan Rudess's mother was the director of a music management company in Sea Cliff, New York, while his father owned a New York clothing manufacturer.

Jordan Rudess was recognized by his second-grade teacher for his piano playing and was immediately given professional instruction.

Jordan Rudess studied at Juilliard for seven years under Katherine Parker and Adele Marcus.

That summer, Jordan Rudess accompanied Lyons for a residency at the Lexington Conservatory Theatre in Lexington, NY.

Jordan Rudess served as assistant musical director and co-composed scores for the theater productions with Lyons, including the world premiere of The Prevalence of Mrs Seale by Otis Bigelow.

At that time, Jordan Rudess had already chosen keyboards as his main instrument.

Jordan Rudess was part of a studio project assembled by bubblegum pop impresarios Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz, who were behind The Ohio Express and The 1910 Fruitgum Company.

Two of the bands that took notice of Jordan Rudess were The Dixie Dregs and Dream Theater, both of whom invited him to join.

Jordan Rudess chose the Dregs, primarily because being a part-time member of the band would have less of an impact on his young family, a choice he was not given with Dream Theater.

Jordan Rudess encountered Dream Theater when he and Morgenstein secured the support slot on one of Dream Theater's North American tours.

In 1997, when Mike Portnoy was asked to form a supergroup by Magna Carta Records, Jordan Rudess was chosen to fill the keyboardist spot in the band, which included Tony Levin and Portnoy's Dream Theater colleague John Petrucci.

Jordan Rudess has been the full-time keyboardist in Dream Theater since the recording of 1999's Metropolis Pt.

Jordan Rudess contributed to Steven Wilson's albums Grace for Drowning and Insurgentes.

In 2010, Jordan Rudess composed "Explorations for Keyboard and Orchestra," his first classical composition.

On July 28,2011, in a poll conducted by MusicRadar, Jordan Rudess was voted the best keyboardist of all time.

Jordan Rudess cites his influences as a keyboardist to include Keith Emerson, Tony Banks, Rick Wakeman, and Patrick Moraz.

Jordan Rudess appeared on the Ayreon album, The Theory of Everything, released on October 28,2013.

Jordan Rudess kept the Kurzweil for studio recordings and for some of his signature sounds, such as "the pig," which is often played in unison with the guitar or bass guitar.

In 2011, Jordan Rudess switched from the Oasys to the new flagship Korg Kronos.

Since 2001, Jordan Rudess has used custom-made swiveling keyboard stands on stage for both Dream Theater and his solo career, which are built by Patrick Slaats from the Netherlands.

Jordan Rudess still owns the synthesizer and keeps it in his home studio.

On September 24,2010, Jordan Rudess released the song "Krump," an electronica single, on iTunes.

Jordan Rudess was frequently asked about private music lessons, but his touring commitments kept him busy.

Jordan Rudess has been a lecturer for various periods at numerous institutes, music schools, and music colleges.

Jordan Rudess taught music, with a particular focus on keyboard techniques, at Berklee College of Music in the United States and at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music in India, and has conducted guest lectures at Stanford.

In 2010, Jordan Rudess started a software company called Wizdom Music.

Jordan Rudess partnered with artists such as Kevin Chartier, Felipe Pena, and Eyal Amir, creating new types of musical instrumental user interfaces and experiences, sound synthesis, and innovative ways of recording and performing music with tablet computers.

Jordan Rudess married Nancy Kornfield in 1989 at a temple in Greenwich, Connecticut.