The Dreamer

Meta Records - 1995



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"The Dreamer"

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Music Composed by Adam Rudolph

Paintings and Text by Nancy Jackson

 

Music for "The Dreamer" is composed in twelve movements, each accompanying a painting with text. The text was inspired by and derived from "The Birth of Tragedy" by Friedrich Nietzche and "The World as Will and Idea" by Arthur Shopenhaur. "The Dreamer" is comprised of one compact disc (total time 56:31) and a 32 page full-color booklet.

The Performers

Kimball Wheeler: soprano | Robert Wisdom: narration | Susan Allen: harp | Ralph Jones: soprano & tenor saxophone, alto flute, bass clarinet, bassoon | Jeff Gauthier: violin | Charles Moore: trumpet | Adam Rudolph: hand drums, percussion, bamboo flutes, samplers and synthesizers | Hannah Rudolph: child's vocal | G.E. Stinson: guitars

Reviews of 'The Dreamer'

"Rudolph's composition's are mysterious, open ended and often filled with beauty."

Valley Advocate

"A well crafted and loving piece of art."

Perceptions Magazine

"The Dreamer Awakens Through an Alchemy of the Arts"

"There are two underlying values that are essential to me in music: Freedom and Love." Adam Rudolph

An extraordinary work of musical and visual art has recently been released by Meta Records, the new Venice, California-based recording company started by world music virtuoso Adam Rudolph. A multi-cultural, cross-disciplinary meditation for the senses, The Dreamer employs unusual combinations of rhythm and vision, melody and philosophy to convey performers and audience along together on an odyssey from awakening to enlightenment.

Described as a "mythic, orchestral improvisation," the work is based on -- and accompanied by -- a beautiful booklet of 12 paintings created by artist Nancy Jackson in response to phrases she selected and adapted from the writings of philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer.

Rudolph is one of the first musicians to take spontaneous composition out of the exclusive domain of jazz and to encourage it in a variety of musical forms. A frequent collaborator with the legendary Yusef Lateef, Rudolph's enormous vocabulary of world music idioms, and his awesome mastery as a composer/performer, have made him a world leader in cross-cultural improvisation.

In composing The Dreamer, Rudolph established a tone and structure that makes it possible for the performers to transcend structure with total freedom yet without collision. He explains:

"It is fascinating to me to work with musicians and artists who have very different backgrounds. What I try to do is to compose and create a musical environment that brings out the most of what they have to offer and inspires them to reach into new expressive areas."

A deeply evocative and compelling work, The Dreamer is narrated by actor Robert Wisdom. Vocals are performed by classical opera diva Kimball Wheeler and Rudolph's young daughter, Hannah. Susan Allen -- who performs with Rudolph on many of his recordings as well as in his world music ensembles -- plays the harp. Ralph Jones provides alto flute, tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, and bassoon. Jeff Gauthier is the violinist. Charles Moore plays trumpet; and G. E. Stinson can be heard on acoustic, slide, and electric guitars. Rudolph, himself, plays on hand drums, percussion, bamboo flutes, samplers, and synthesizers.

All of Rudolph's work reflects his constant search for the sacred synthesis of disparate musical elements that can "elevate the human spirit and precipitate a transformational experience." In the lineage of A Love Supreme -- in which John Coltrane fused spiritual worship with musical performance -- The Dreamer represents the culmination of Rudolph's in-depth and life-long exploration into rhythms and melodies of indigenous cultures and the spirit and consciousness that inspire them. In The Dreamer, he has orchestrated a dynamic peace between diverse voices that enables us to hear unexpected harmonies and extraordinary counterpoints in the improvised dialogues between ancient and modern musical traditions.

CD Review by Laurel Airica, The Visioneering Group

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