Julius Rodriguez

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Julius Rodriguez

| image = Julius Rodriguez LIVE.jpg

| caption =

| image_size =

| landscape =

| birth_name =

| alias = Orange Julius

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age |1998|9|4}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| origin = White Plains, New York

| instrument = Piano, keyboards, organ, drums, bass guitar, guitar

| genre = Jazz, gospel, soul, hip hop, pop

| occupation = Musician

| years_active =

| label = Verve Records

| associated_acts = Jazzmeia Horn, Onyx Collective, Kassa Overall, Brasstracks, and Carmen Lundy

| website = {{URL|https://www.juliusrodriguez.com/}}

}}

Julius Rodriguez, also known as "Orange Julius", is an American pianist, drummer and composer.{{cite web |title=12 New Jazz Artists to Watch in 2019 |first=Bill |last=Milkowski |publisher=paste magazine |date= |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/01/12-new-jazz-artists-to-watch-in-2019.html#6-julius-rodriguez |format=HMTL |doi= |accessdate=2020-03-07 |archive-date=April 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417201300/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/01/12-new-jazz-artists-to-watch-in-2019.html#6-julius-rodriguez |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title= The Jazz Youth-Quake: Others on the Upswing |first=Michael |last=KATSOBASHVILI |publisher=Vanity Fair |date= November 10, 2015|url = https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/11/jazz-youth-quake | format =HMTL| doi =| accessdate =2020-03-07}}{{cite web |title= Video Interview: Drummer/ Pianist Julius Rodriguez |first= |last= |publisher=I Spy Soul |date= February 15, 2018|url = https://ispysoul.net/2018/02/15/julius-rodriguez-seeing-double-but-the-road-ahead-is-clear/ | format =HMTL| doi =| accessdate =2020-03-07}} In 2021, Rodriguez signed with Verve Records.{{Cite magazine|title=The Deals: Phoebe Bridgers Signs Third Artist; 'Blippi' Label Teams Up With UMG|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9616634/deals-saddest-factory-umg-moonbug-foundation-fm-records|access-date=2021-09-29|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}

Biography

=Early life=

Rodriguez grew up in White Plains, New York and is of Haitian descent. He began to study classical piano at an early age. He was exposed to jazz, particularly music by Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane through his father, an avid jazz aficionado. At age twelve, he enrolled in Manhattan School of Music's precollege division and studied there continuously throughout high school. He later studied at The Juilliard School.{{cite web |title= Notations From — Julius Rodriguez, Part I of II |first= Deborah |last= Demoss Smith |publisher=KMHD Jazz Radio |date= |url = https://www.opb.org/kmhd/article/notations-from-julius-rodriguez-part-i-of-ii/ | format =HMTL| doi =| accessdate =2020-03-07}}{{cite web |title= Orange Julius On His Journey To Jazz |first= Chioma |last= Nwana |publisher=SVGE Magazine |date= 2019-09-04 |url = https://www.opb.org/kmhd/article/notations-from-julius-rodriguez-part-i-of-ii/ | format =HMTL| doi =| accessdate =2020-03-10}}

=Musical career=

Rodriguez’s music integrates elements from jazz, avant-garde, R&B, hip-hop and pop music. He has drawn inspiration from The Bad Plus, Vijay Iyer and Jason Moran to find novel ways of integrating music outside of the jazz canon, including music by The Beatles.{{cite web |title= It's Different: Julius Rodriguez Speaks |first= |last= |publisher=The Jazz Gallery |date= |url = https://www.jazzspeaks.org/its-different-julius-rodriguez-speaks/ | format =HMTL| doi =| accessdate =2020-03-07}}

Rodriguez has been an active touring member of Isaiah Barr's Onyx Collective, a group which has done collaborative work with a wide range of artists, including Dave Glasser, Ratking, and members of the Wu Tang Clan. The group accompanied A$AP Rocky on a 2018 tour in which Rodriguez performed on both keyboard and guitar.{{cite web |title= The Coolest Young Musicians Coming out of Westchester Right Now |first= Paul |last= Adler |publisher= Westchester Magazine |date= November 25, 2019|url = https://westchestermagazine.com/things-to-do/arts-culture/the-coolest-young-musicians-coming-out-of-westchester-right-now/ | format =HMTL| doi =| accessdate =2020-03-10}}

He has worked as a sideman with Keyon Harrold, Ben Williams, Carmen Lundy, James Morrison, Jazzmeia Horn, Dev Hynes, Roy Hargrove, Macy Gray, Wynton Marsalis, Veronica Swift, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Kurt Elling, Nick Hakim, Meshell Ndegeocello and others.{{cite web |title=Julius Rodriguez |first= |last= |publisher=Smallslive |date= |url = https://www.smallslive.com/artists/2951-julius-rodriguez/ | format =HMTL| doi =| accessdate =2020-03-07}}

Rodriguez also performs regularly as a drummer.

Discography

= As leader =

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! style="text-align:left; border-bottom:1px solid gray; border-top:1px solid gray;"| Album artist

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Julius Rodriguez

|Evergreen

|2024

|Verve

Julius Rodriguez

|Let Sound Tell All

|2022

|Verve

Julius Rodriguez

|Midnight Sun

|2021

|Verve

Julius Rodriguez

|Actual Proof

|2021

|Verve

Julius Rodriguez

|Butterfly

|2020

|After School

style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Julius Rodriguez

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| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Blues at the Barn

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| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| 2020

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| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Independent

style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Orange Julius and the Big Beat

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| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Introducing Orange Julius and the Big Beat

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| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| 2015

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| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Independent

= As sideman =