Rudy Royston, a young jazz drummer who moved to New York City from Denver in 2006, has been a rising star on the jazz scene. Already a rising star on the tenor-sax, J.D. Royston was ready for the challenge of being a leader. He had already worked as a sideman with Tia Fuller (alto saxophonist), Ben Allison (bassist), Bill Frisell (guitarist), and Dave Douglas (trumpeter). His debut album Greenleaf Music, called 303 after Denver’s area code, features his amazing and versatile playing on the instrument as well as his impressive skills as a composer of ten originals. This stellar debut features a stellar group of young stars on the New York music scene —- guitarist Nirfelder, pianist Sam Harris and saxophonist Jon Irabagon. Nadja Noordhuis, trumpeter Nadja Nordhuis, and the two-bass tandem Mimi Jones and Yasushi Nakamura Royston also perform dramatic interpretations of Radiohead’s “High and Dry” and Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus”. “Rudy is such a dynamic drummer, intensely polyrhythmic, both subtle and explosive,” says trumpeter–composer–bandleader and Greenleaf Music founder Dave Douglas. “I was thrilled when he announced that he was recording a record of his music with a brilliant, eager cast of musicians,” Douglas says. “Mimi Sunrise” opens with a rich rubato soundscape and then settles into a hypnotic groove. The rhythmically–charged “Play on Words” opens with some intricate, tightly executed harmony lines upfront from the horns and a flowing guitar solo from Felder, eventually building to an ecstatic crescendo with saxophonist Irabagon and pianist Harris exchanging bristling solos on top of the churning pulse. The quiet “Prayer(for the people)” is one among two such peaceful prayers on the 303. The other is the more evocative “Prayer” (for the earth). Royston wrote “Good Night Kinyah” as a gentle lullaby for his daughter. The restful waltz is accentuated by the remarkably soulful and poetic playing of Felder guitarist and Irabagon saxophonist, as well as a beautiful flugelhorn solo by Noordhuis. “Gangs of New York” has a short piece that takes you to many places in just seven minutes. The piece opens with a bright and cheerful theme, which is underscored by Royston’s insistent brushwork. It builds to a powerful crescendo fuelled by Rudy’s melodic and muscular drum solo. Felder’s distortion-laced skronking or full-on power chords further enhance the music. The group’s dreamy rendition of Radiohead’s “High and Dry” is one of the most memorable drumming moments on 303. Royston solos throughout the entire piece, without any regard for barlines. “Miles To Go (Sunset Road),” is a simple vamp, which remains the same throughout the entire piece but is embellished in subtle ways. Rudy says, “The number one lesson I learned from Ron Miles was that nothing has to be.” “Nothing needs to happen in this tune, because something already happens. It’s the beauty of small moments in music when someone plays something that touches you deeply, and you just keep going. We play it for about four minutes and there are special moments. Royston says that he was inspired by Elvin Jones when composing “Bownze”. He says, “I wanted to pay tribute to Elvin on this.” It’s a place where I can just swing up and play the drums. This uptempo burner has many stop-time statements to increase drama and allow the piece to breathe. While Harris plays a stirring solo, Irabagon, the saxophonist, rages on tenor and goes toe-to-toe at a breakneck speed with Royston. The closing prayer “Prayer (for earth)” follows that intense romp. It is a final cleansing breath to end the proceedings. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Denver, the gifted drummer studied with Ed Soph and Duffy Jackson early in his career. His first recording was My Cruel Heart, which was released in 1996. The second album, Woman’s Day 1997, was a critically acclaimed recording by Ron Miles —- 1996. Miles was Miles’ employer. Royston recalls that Ron would often tell him what to play on a song and would then tell him to do whatever the music asked. He never told me what to do. Ron taught me how to play the music I wanted. Rudy moved to New York in 2006. He describes his first year in New York as “rough.” I had no gigs. I simply went to a few jam sessions and waited for people call. After some time, I realized that I had made a big mistake and that maybe I should return to Denver. He kept playing, and eventually people called.” He got his big break when J.D. called. Allen. Royston was praised for his interactive and fearless playing in Allen’s trio. This was first documented on 2008’s I Am I Am. He then began to build a following in New York. He began touring internationally with Frisell’s Beautiful Dreamers trio, which also includes Eyvind Kang as violist. Royston was able to express a more sensitive side through playing in a chamber–like environment. Rudy says, “I can really play on the drums with colors and you really need to use the cymbals in that band very differently.” “I didn’t want to be seen as one type of cat, so I don’t like being categorized as someone who only plays one kinda thing. That’s why I enjoy playing alongside Bill.” Royston is currently part of Frisell’s Big Sur quintet, the Beautiful Dreamers trio with cellist Hank Roberts (and violinist Jenny Scheinman), and the Dave Douglas Quintet. He appears on 2012’s Time Travel and 2011’s Be Still. With the release of 303, Royston is ready to take the next step in his promising career. Dave Douglas says that 303’s music is full of vision. It’s Rudy from the very first note to the last. Rudy’s arrangements into the band result in profound grooves, soulful melodies, and soloing. It’s a real pleasure to hear Rudy’s inner musical thoughts. It is exciting to hear this music on the stage, and to see Rudy rise to the top as a leader. Greenleaf Music
