American progressive metal band Dream Theater will be in the spotlight of Dream Fest Israel at the Live Park in Rishon Lezion on Thursday.
Formed in 1985 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the band has performed in Israel in 2009, 2011 and 2017.
“The audience in Israel is very strong,” said Jordan Rudess, the band’s longtime keyboardist. “I always find the reception powerful and passionate.”
Dream Theater’s 14th studio album, Distance Over Time, shows that the band still bring its prowess with full force.
“When working with a group like that, it’s very important to be able to give space to other people so their ideas can be hear,” Rudess spoke to The Jerusalem Post about the creative process behind the group’s new album.
“The magic with Dream Theater is that everybody thinks a little bit differently so there is certain power in bringing us all together like that,” he said.
Rudess, who grew up in a Reform Jewish family in Long Island, New York, showed an affinity for the piano since very young. He was accepted to the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College where he was trained in classical piano. The exposure to rock & roll in his teens, however, pulled Rudess into the heavy metal and progressive rock world. He joined Dream Theater in 1999, after being courted over the course of many years.
Rudess also has an extensive and fruitful solo career. He has released a number of albums that mixed metal, classical rock and jazz. On his latest album, Wired for Madness, the keyboardist continues to experiment with different styles.
“Obviously in my solo work, my ideas flow freely out of my head and I try to capture them at every moment,” said Rudess.“Improvisation is also a big part of my musical life. It’s very important to me and I’m always working to develop that skill. It basically involves being able to transfer the thoughts that are in my mind to my fingers and onto the instrument. The smoother that process happens, the better the improvisation and the move refined my craft becomes.”
Rudess has also a special connection with Israel. In 2005 and 2011, he performed with Aviv Gefen and Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson in their side project, Blackfield.
“One thing I learned over the last decade is that some of the best musicians in the world are in Israel,” said Rudess. “There are so many great players and I’m always finding out about more.”
Other bands performing at Dream Fest Israel include the British group Tesseract, The American-Sweden group Soen and the Israeli artist Yossi Sassi and The Oriental Rock Band.