by S. Rotan Hale
To say multi-instrumentalist and composer Julius Rodriguez is a music prodigy would be putting it mildly. Let’s start with his opening number at one of two shows Friday, May 2 at the Jefferson Center. Rodriguez entered the stage, mounted the drum set and proceeded with one of the most amazing renditions of a drum solo ever to be executed – all to the sounds of an unusual subsonic bass-heavy, other-world sound track.
Shifting gears, he strapped on a Roland AX synthesizer as the other band members entered the stage and together they proceeded to set the tone for a night of intensity that spanned an array of musical genres.
The quartet, was composed of Jaylen Petinaud on drums who entered the stage and actually had to readjust the drums from the rigorous experience Rodriguez just put the kit and the unsuspecting audience through.
NOTE: Readers please understand, that among the many instruments Rodriguez masters, he is a fiercely proficient drummer – therefore this was no ordinary drum solo by any means!
“Jaylen and I have been friends since high school but we haven’t had a chance to play together since he’s also the drummer for Herbie Hancock and other high-profile artists in the field,” Rodriguez explained during a one-on-one chat after the set.
Another longtime associate joining him was saxophonist Emilio Modeste who brilliantly rode the melodies performing mostly on soprano sax and at times switched to tenor with a boldness in the style of, let’s say, saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Joe Henderson. The later, being an ultra-classic mainstream jazz great of the 60’s and 70’s.
Bassist Brandon Rose masterfully thumped along on upright and electric bass, keeping the bottom tight and solid and at certain intervals slipped in a couple of pretty impressive bass solos throughout the night.
Much of the performance consisted of Rodriguez’s original compositions that were flooded with innovation born of the influences of such greats as Herbie Hancock, Amad Jamal and modern-day jazz pianist and composer Robert Glasper as well as others.
The selections kept the audience engrossed in waves of sound that vollied between thrashing up-tempo fusion-like rhythms, led by Rodriguez playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano or whaling away on the synthesizer.
Among the few ballads played was Where Grace Abounds from his debut album Let Sound Tell All (Verve, 2022). With a celestial softness that added a most refreshing touch to the lineup of selections played, the group performed another ballad Love Everlasting from Rodriguez’s most recent album Evergreen (Verve, 2024).
In addition to the number of keyboard instruments this young modern jazz prodigy from New York masters Rodriguez also plays electric bass, electric and acoustic guitar as well as clarinet and does much of the programming on various projects he’s involved in.
What’s more amazing is how Rodriguez, now still in his twenties, is among the many musicians who embodies such a hightened consciousness that allows him to understand and capture the dynamic essence of jazz and therefore electrify audiences – like those who experience the many nights of greatness at the Jefferson Center.
