Adam Rudolph and Joseph Bowie first performed together in 2000 @ Lincoln Center with Yusef Lateef. They have collaborated together in numerous projects since then, including a trio with Omar Sosa and, most recently, in Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures. Their music is grounded in the American improvisational tradition while embracing music forms, languages, instrumentation, and cosmologies of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the African Diaspora. Decades of performance and research into these music cultures have given the artists the background and experience to create a unique and unprecedented improvisational art form. About the music : Compositional forms serve as thematic material to provide an orchestrated context for improvisational dialogue. Music materials consist, among other things, of original melodies, textural gestures, sound languages, tone rows, traditional and synthetic scales diadic and intervallicaly generated harmonies, call and response, polyphony, dynamics and the coloration of silences. Unique forms are generated through the concept of “Cyclic Verticalism”, whereby polyrhythms, as used in African music are combined with rhythm cycles, as used in Indian music. When combined with the above-described tonal materials, larger forms can be generated. In the compositions these materials are utilized to serve emotional coloration; what in India is called Rasa. Performers are given the freedom to use their imagination and listening ability to develop the compositions within their own individual motion and timing while still relating to the overall form and to the aesthetic and musical functions. The concept is to generate unusual relationships of sound against sound form against form, and rhythm against rhythm in a non-linear, ever shifting kaleidoscope of music images. Adam’s biography : Born in 1955, handrummer, percussionist, composer, multi instrumentalist and improviser Adam Rudolph has been hailed as “a pioneer in world music” by the NY times. Currently he composes for his groups Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures Organic Orchestra, a 15 – 50 piece ensemble for which he has developed an original music notation and conducting system. He has taught and conducted hundreds of musicians in the Go: Organic Orchestra concept in both North America and Europe. He has performed at festivals and concerts throughout North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Japan, appeared on numerous albums and released over twenty recordings as a leader. Over the past 25 years Rudolph has developed a unique syncretic approach to hand drumming in creative collaborations with outstanding artists of cross-cultural and improvised music, including Yusef Lateef, Jon Hassel, L. Shankar, Muhal Richard Abrams, Fred Anderson, Hassan Hakmoun, Sam Rivers, Omar Sosa, and Pharaoh Sanders, and Wadada Leo Smith among others. He has released over a dozen recordings on his own Meta Records label documenting his compositions for various size ensembles. Joseph Bowie, the youngest member of the Bowie musician family, began is career in St. Louis, Missouri where he was born in 1953 and raised by his father William Lester Bowie, Sr. & mother Earxie L. Bowie. Joseph’s father was a music teacher and he was greatly influenced by his older brothers Byron (saxophonist & arranger) and older brother Lester, internationally acclaimed jazz trumpeter. Joe made his first international tour with B.A.G, in 1971 with Oliver Lake, Baikida Carroll, Bobo Shaw, Floyd Leflore & Julius Hemphill moved to Paris to begin his his first major tour with a jazz ensemble. During this time in Paris, Joe worked with other jazz notables; Alan Silva, Frank Wright, Bobby Few and others. He also worked with Dr. John in Montreaux in 1973. In 1973, Joseph with drummer Charles Bobo Shaw moved to New York City and with the help of Ellen Stuart of La Mama Experimental Theater Group extablished the La Mama children’s theater on the lower east side of NYC. During this period 1973 –76 Joe collaborated and performed with Cecil Taylor, Human Arts Ensemble,Leroy Jenkins, Stanley Cowell, Sam Rivers, Ornette Coleman & many more jazz personalities in New York at that time. Joseph became a notable member of the new jazz community in NY. In 1976 he moved briefly to Chicago where he became a Rhythm & Blues specialist, leading bands for Tyrone Davis and other R& B artists. Returning to NYC in 1978 Joseph began working with Punk/funk artist James Chance and soon became a fixture on the new wave scene in NY. Defunkt was born during that time. During the next 25 years, Defunkt has recorded 15 CD’s and Joseph has become a funk officianado throughout the world collaborating with funk entities such as Dave Doran, Sigi finkel, Wolf Wolf, Jean -Paul Bourelly. Joseph also further developed his jazz relationships with artists such as David Murray, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Yuseef Lateef, Adam Rudolph. He performed with the Sam Rivers Big Band for his 75th birthday. Performed regularly with the Oliver lake big band & many others. In 2003, Joseph moved residence to Holland where he is developing new musical relationships throughout the EU and the world. Adam Rudolph : handrumset, congas, djembe, tarija, frame drum, thumb pianos, gongs, percussion and mulitphonic singing, sintir, piano Joseph Bowie : trombone, electronics, vocal, harmonica, congas, djembe, percussion from http://josephbowie.com/igbo.html
