About Adam Rudolph
Born 1955. Adam Rudolph is an American jazz musician, percussionist, composer, drummer and musician.
Adam Rudolph (born September 12, 1955) is a jazz composer and percussionist performing in the post-bop and world fusion media.
Rudolph grew up in the South Side of Chicago among jazz and blues musicians. In 1988 he met jazz musician Yusef Lateef, and the two would go on to collaborate and perform together for the next 25 years. In 1992 Rudolph helped found the band Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures, “a malleable group of improvisers“, as Jazz Times described it. He has been the artistic director of and composer for Hu: Vibrational with Hamid Drake, Vashti International Percussion Ensemble and Go: Organic Orchestra. He has performed as half of the Wildflowers Duo with Butoh dance innovator Oguri.
Rudolph has released several albums as leader and has also recorded with musicians Sam Rivers, Omar Sosa, Wadada Leo Smith, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock, Foday Musa Suso, and Shadowfax.
Discography As leader Adam Rudolph's Moving Pictures (Flying Fish, 1992) Skyway (Soul Note, 1994) Contemplations (Meta, 1997) 12 Arrows (Meta, 1999) Go: Organic Orchestra: 1 (Meta, 2002) Web of Light (Meta, 2002) Dream Garden (Justin Time, 2008) Yeyi (Meta, 2010) Both/And (Meta, 2011) Merely a Traveler On the Cosmic Path (Meta, 2012) Glare of the Tiger (Meta, 2017) Focus and Field (Meta, 2020) Autumn Moon Meditation (Meta, 2024)
As co-leader With Build an Ark Peace with Every Step (Kindred Spirits, 2004) Dawn (Kindred Spirits, 2007)
With Eternal Wind Eternal Wind (Flying Fish, 1984) Terra Incognita (Flying Fish, 1987) Wasalu (Flying Fish, 1988)
With Hu Vibrational Boonghee Music 1 (Eastern Developments, 2002) Beautiful Boonghee Music 2 (Soul Jazz, 2004) Universal Mother Boonghee Music 3 (Soul Jazz, 2006) The Epic Botanical Beat Suite Boonghee Music 4 (Meta, 2015) Timeless Boonghee Music 5 (Meta, 2023)
With Yusef Lateef Live in Seattle (YAL, 1999)
With Mandingo Griot Society Mandingo Griot Society (Flying Fish, 1978) Mighty Rhythm (Flying Fish, 1981)
With Bennie Maupin Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef (Strut, 2022)
With Universal Quartet The Universal Quartet (Blackout Music, 2009) Light (ILK Music, 2013)
As sideman
With Jon Hassell City: Works of Fiction (Opal, 1990) Dressing for Pleasure (Warner Bros., 1994) Seeing Through Sound (Ndeya, 2020)
With Bill Laswell Kauai: The Arch of Heaven (Metastation, 2014) Against Empire (M.O.D. Reloaded, 2020)
Dave Liebman The Unknowable (RareNoise, 2018) Chi (RareNoise, 2019)
With Yusef Lateef Tenors of Yusef Lateef and Archie Shepp (YAL, 1992) The African-American Epic Suite for Quintet and Orchestra (ACT, 1994) – rec. 1993 The World at Peace (Meta, 1997)[2CD] – rec. 1995 Beyond the Sky (YAL/Meta, 2000) A G.I.F.T. (A Goodness Inwardness Forgiving Tolerance) (YAL, 2000) Live at Luckman Theater (YAL, 2001) Towards the Unknown (Meta, 2010) – rec. 2009 Voice Prints (Meta, 2013) – rec. 2008
With Shadowfax Shadowdance (Windham Hill, 1983) The Dreams of Children (Windham Hill, 1984) Too Far to Whisper (Windham Hill, 1986)
With Wadada Leo Smith Compassion (Meta, 2006) – rec. 2002 Najwa (TUM TUM, 2017) – rec. 2014
With others Fred Anderson, The Missing Link (Nessa, 1984) – rec. 1979 Bob Belden, Puccini's Turandot (Blue Note, 1993) Joseph Bowie, Good Medicine (Defunkt Music, 2013) – rec. 2011 Henry Brant, The Henry Brant Collection Vol. 2 (Innova, 2004) Norman Connors, Passion (Capitol, 1988) Hamid Drake, Karuna (Meta, 2018) Hassan Hakmoun, Gift of the Gnawa (Flying Fish, 1991) Herbie Hancock, Jazz Africa (NEC Avenue, 1987) Hue and Cry, Remote (Circa, 1988) Sam Rivers, Vista (Meta, 2004) Ned Rothenberg, Overlays (Moers Music, 1991) Pharoah Sanders, Spirits (Meta, 2000) Claudia Schmidt, Claudia Schmidt (Flying Fish, 1979) Paul Shapiro, Shofarot Verses (Tzadik, 2014) – rec. 2013 Avery Sharpe, Extended Family II Thoughts of My Ancestors (JKNM, 1995) – rec. 1994 Antonio Pinho Vargas, Selos E Borboletas (EMI, 1991)
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Important facts
People in Adam Rudolph's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Adam Rudolph's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Adam Rudolph?
American musician
When was Adam Rudolph born?
Adam Rudolph was born on 12 September 1955 in Hyde Park.
What is Adam Rudolph's occupation?
Adam Rudolph is a jazz musician, percussionist, composer, drummer and musician.
What nationality is Adam Rudolph?
Adam Rudolph is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Adam Rudolph. https://biography.guide/adam-rudolph/
MLA: "Adam Rudolph." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/adam-rudolph/.
Chicago: "Adam Rudolph." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/adam-rudolph/.
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