When I recently watched images of what happened
on that dreadful day on september 11th 2001, no words could
describe the sadness, the fear and the anger which all of this caused the
world over. Speechless I tried to find an answer for that ever recurring
question : why ? Indeed no words could be found to fully describe what the
entire world felt, how that same world would be after that terrible event.
When you can’t find any words at all then honest, no strings attached,
pure instrumental music will do the trick as it gives every single one of us
the opportunity to fill in our own story on the imaginary dotted line. Dream Theater keyboardplayer Jordan Rudess lives
and works in New York and his life came to a complete standstill that
disastrous day in september. It’s as if he was completely paralyzed before
his soul called on him giving him the idea to perform a solo concert in aid
of the circumstances. So in a very short space of time the entire event was
organized and on 24th september Jordan took his Kurzweil 2600, a
Korg Karma and a nine foot Steinway Grand piano onto an empty stage at the
Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center, Nyack, New York hoping that the venue
would soon be packed so he could donate the proceedings of that night to the
American Red Cross. This benefit concert for the victims of the world trade
center was recorded with the intention of being released on CD yet not
knowing what he would play minutes before he was due on stage, the set
comprised some Dream Theater songs, some Liquid Tension Experiment material
and several improvisations. Listening back to the recordings Jordan felt the
improvisations sounded the best yet there was not sufficient material to
fill a complete album so he recorded some extra instrumentals in his studio
the week after. The result of his efforts can now be found on the “4NYC”
album which was previously only available through Jordan’s website but has
now found wider distribution as a full fledged Magna Carta release. In all
seven live tracks and six studio instrumentals make the album complete. Already from the first notes of ‘My
thoughts’ you can witness the classical class of this outrageous
keyboardplayer, a song which also enables you to close your eyes and dream
your own film of september 11th, tears included ! Wonderful harp
sounds open the gates to heaven in ‘If I could’ the longest track on the
album. ‘Outcast’ sounds very ominous and gets close to the atmosphere of
Vangelis. Even in the saddest of moments one has to believe in the future,
in better times that are lurking behind the corner. Difficult to realize
that behind the thick curtains of smoke there still is a warming sun, it was
Jordan’s daughter Ariana who suggested he’d do ‘Mary had a little
lamb’. Of course Jordan wouldn’t be Jordan if he didn’t treat it his
very own way giving it the adapt title of ‘Lamb chops’. Jordan gives the
song the possibility to include a little bit of humour, as if it’s a
helping hand reaching out to touch as many people as possible, as a healing
therapy because despite of all the sadness, ‘Lamb chops’ opens a new can
of happiness, a new vision and more vitamins Popeye has ever seen in his
life because life goes on ! When I listen to the inspiring ‘Within’ I
think of mayor Gulliani walking in the streets of Manhattan but I also think
of the many firefighters who gave their lives to help others. This is the
song for all heroes, this is a song to be proud of ! Splendid fast
pianoplaying forms the main attraction of ‘Real time’ which finds itself
in the same league as Rick Wakeman. The same can be said of ‘Darkness to
day’ where Rudess kind of fuses the legacy of Wakeman and Vangelis into a
new and interesting solemn whole. Jordan then leaves this path in search of
a more rhythmic pattern which he finds and explores during ‘Speed as
light’ almost adding a salsa feel to his slightly avantgarde pianoplaying
before ending with some slow chords. The album closes with ‘For you’ in
which Rudess once again uses the harp sound evoking the atmosphere of Andres
Vollenweider and delivering his very own special gift to all those who died
on the day the world will never forget ! “4NYC” contains some wonderful instrumental
music, soothing and technical at the same time, the ideal companion to get
through every september 11th from now on. As mayor Gulliani said
when he walked amongst the debris in lower Manhattan : ‘walk north, you
have to walk north !’ Thanks Jordan ! Jordan
Rudess and Magna Carta will both donate a portion of the proceeds of this
album to charitable organizations in memory of the lives lost on september
11th, 2001.
Reviewed by : John
‘Bo Bo’ Bollenberg |
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