Navigating the Musical World of Adam Rudolph: Towards an Analysis of Individual and Group Interpretations in Conducted Improvisation Performance

ABSTRACT This paper examines the differences in the approaches that two improvisers, Graham Haynes and Kenny Wessel, take in interpreting Adam Rudolph’s unique improvisational system, and also analyzes two passages of music generated by Rudolph’s approach to what he calls “improvised conducting.” In order for the reader to understand the significance of these analyses, I provide some background on the specifics of Rudolph’s system. I also provide a brief history of conducted improvisation and a framework to understand the different kinds of conducted improvisation commands to give the reader with a basic understanding of the practice. While I place the mechanics of the music at the center of this paper, I also use interviews and ethnographic research to examine Rudolph’s particular development and lineage within a larger creative music history. Examining the solos of Rudolph’s longtime associates, through analysis as well as personal communication with the musicians, I arrive at insights that shed light on the increasingly complex (and international) web of influence available to the contemporary improviser.