Further Reading
27th June 2024
The versatile "jazz pop-hop" prodigy's new album reflects his desire to remain dynamic and adaptable, much like the verdant plant that inspired its name.
You can find Julius Rodriguez in many places. You could walk into a packed jazz haunt and bear witness to him behind the piano with energy practically surging from his fingers through the room. You might scroll up on social media and catch him alternating from drums to bass to guitar at the speed of a jump cut. You may also step onto festival grounds and see him on stage either solo or accompanying another like-minded visionary, jamming like his life depends on it. No matter where, the New York-born and Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer electrifies any lane. By doing so, he also transcends perceived boundaries between genres and styles, redefining the music to mirror his own fluid creative inclinations and delivering a sound that's solely his alone.
Rodriguez's signature style came to life on his solo debut, "Let Sound Tell All," which NPR hailed as "a project so dynamic that even the umbrella of jazz couldn't quite contain its essence." Following widespread applause from The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The FADER and more, collaborations with everyone from Wynton Marsalis to A$AP Rocky, and tens of millions of streams, Rodriguez grows in as many directions as possible on his second full-length offering, "Evergreen."
At the top of 2024, he entered a studio in North Hollywood, California with producer Tim Anderson (Solange, Halsey, Billie Eilish). They unlocked a distinct chemistry, bonding over the catalog of Herbie Hancock and 70s fusion titans Mahavishnu Orchestra. Rodriguez introduces the album with the opener and single "Mission Statement." Steady handclaps set the track in motion as a spacey loop swims around a slick bass line. Cymbals chatter through vibrant piano, and a saxophone solo sails off towards the horizon.
"Love Everlasting" sees him team up with longtime friend and fellow dynamo Keyon Harold. A dreamy keyboard melody gently echoes as Harold's unmistakable trumpet booms in fits of emotion over robust drums and shimmering piano. Then, there's "Run to It (The CP Song)." It hinges on a boisterous back-and-forth between the bass, beats, guitar and piano – akin to a vivacious Sunday on stage in a Southern church.
On the other end of the spectrum, he injects a "jazz waltz vibe" into his reimagining of Dijon's "Many Times." The epic "Stars Talk" unites him with Nate Mercereau, whose synths and freestyled guitar samples amplify an exhale of sonic bliss.
The album crescendos to a triumphant inflection point on "Champion's Call," featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow. A signature piano line from Rodriguez brims with energy as Muldrow's deep wail resounds with earthquaking intensity in a mantra-like motion. By breaking boundaries with "Evergreen," Rodriguez has lived up to the true spirit of jazz by ushering it towards the future freely.
