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A New Twist to Live Streaming with Jordan Rudess
by Rich and Laura Lynch
It's the spring of 2020 as concert goers remain locked down but thankfully the new norm of live streaming allows artists and fans the opportunity to stay connected. Now, Mercury Insurance Company is adding an interesting twist to this model. The idea is that the company sponsors a show while the musician encourages listeners to request a fast, free online auto insurance quote from Mercury who in turn gives the artist a commission for each completed form.
Jordan Rusess in freer times a decade ago in 2010.
The Mercury Insurance Concert Series kicked off on May 8, 2020 with a virtual performance by Jordan Rudess who was voted "Best Keyboardist of All Time" by Music Radar Magazine. Rudess is best known as the keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire for The Dixie Dregs and Dream Theater. He also has an impressive body of solo work which now includes this innovative live stream model.
At nine, Jordan entered the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division for classical piano training. As time passed he took an interest in synthesizers and progressive rock thus changing the direction of Jordan's musical journey. Later, Rudess became intrigued with technology. In 2010, he founded Wizdom Music, which has developed award-winning apps including: MorphWiz, SampleWiz, Geo Synthesizer, SpaceWiz, SketchWiz and Tachyon. MorphWiz won the first ever Billboard award for Best Music Creation App. Wizdom Music has also built apps for Intel, Microsoft and RIM.
Friday, 7pm central, Jordan promptly walked out gave us a thumbs up as he took his seat at a nine foot Steinway Grand. In a sense it was a return to his classical roots as there were no apps or synths just his pure piano playing. Since it was a solo show the focus was Jordan who aptly worked the ivories on complex, multi-part compositions. A few different camera angles were used effectively such as overhead shots of the keys and the side view which gave the allusion of sitting by the piano.
"Hey everybody," greeted Jordan after a few songs. He mentioned Mercury Insurance Company coupled with comments that he has been playing at home daily. He thanked fans for their support and for tuning in. Rudess would chat a few more times during his show and after performing a Liquid Tension Experiment instrumental that was not written for the piano he hinted that more LTE could be coming?!?
Jordan presented a diverse set that included Dream Theater tunes along with tracks from some of his major influences such Genesis and Yes. "In The Court of the Crimson King" was brilliant as Jordan handled all parts on the piano. He also threw in a few surprises like the sad but timely "The Way We Were" along with a bit of the blues. He served up "Supper's Ready" as the closer but as he concluded Jordan gave us a little smile paired with one more instrumental.
Rudess who has released 10 solo albums, including his latest Wired for Madness (2019), kicked off these virtual concerts with class. Chord Overstreet, Flo Chase and Emily Coupe are some of the other artists scheduled to participate in The Mercury Insurance Concert Series. Mercury (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile, homeowners and business insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Thanks again to Mercury and Jordan Rudess for an engaging evening of music.
Related Links:
For more information on JORDAN RUDESS and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -
Jordan Rudess |
Dream Theater |
Mercury Insurance Concert Series
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