{"id":4614,"date":"2022-06-19T17:39:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-19T22:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=4614"},"modified":"2022-06-19T17:45:14","modified_gmt":"2022-06-19T22:45:14","slug":"genuine-expression-julius-rodriguez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/genuine-expression-julius-rodriguez\/","title":{"rendered":"Genuine Expression: A Conversation with Julius Rodriguez"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Is it jazz?” This question has plagued improvised music for nearly half a century. Almost as long as people have used the label “jazz”, they have questioned how to define it. Some – Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Crouch being perhaps the most prominent voices – have even proposed unsupportable theses on the “true” definition of “jazz” in furtherance of some narrow, often self-serving, purpose. All of these discussions, however, miss the point entirely. The core of “jazz” has always been the power of artists to use improvisation to express themselves in a manner deeper than mere words could convey. In this sense, “jazz” is ultimately interconnected with almost all other kinds of music. Today, a new generation of musicians discard the narrow definitions in favor of extracting the music’s essence. With many in this class born after the dust settled from the neotraditionalist crusade of the 1980s, they see the futility of the jazz definitional debate. Instead, all music is valid. The wisdom of the elders is to be a guide, not a straightjacket. A perfect example of this mindset is present in Julius Rodriguez’s major-label debut, Let Sound Tell All<\/em> (Verve, 2022). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the album’s opener, “Blues at the Barn”, the 23-year-old pianist-drummer begins with a 1960s McCoy Tyner-like sound that evidences a clear indebtedness to that era’s post-bop. The following, “All I Do” displays the connectivity of such sound to R&B. With the spacy “Soundcheck Interlude” and the Roy Hargrove-infused aura of “Gift to the Moon” featuring trumpeter Giveton Gelin, the music continues to expand eternally outward. Across the entire recording’s nine tracks, Rodriguez and his compatriots underscore the connectivity between the ideas of the elders of “jazz” and more contemporary concepts from avant-garde music, hip-hop, gospel, R&B, and pop. Where some would compartmentalize these ideas, on Let Sound Tell All<\/em>, they naturally flow into one another, definitively stating they all share a common purpose and lineage. We sat down with Rodriguez to discuss the album and his views on music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PostGenre: How are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julius Rodriguez: I’m good. I’m excited to do some shows presenting some of the music on Let Sound Tell All.<\/em> I\u2019m also getting ready to move to Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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PG: Why Los Angeles?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JR: There are many different opportunities that I want to take advantage of in LA in terms of film scoring and production.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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PG: What is it about film scoring that interests you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JR: Well, for me, music is a functional thing. Creating the music that goes into film, and becomes part of the film’s story, helps bring music beyond just something you can listen to. It is also great to be able to work with videographers and photographers.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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