Jazz Articles about Greg Burk

Greg Burk: The Way In

by AAJ Italy Staff
November 27, 2006

Figlio d’arte (il padre direttore d’orchestra, la madre cantante lirica, la nonna pianista accompagnatrice di film all’epoca del muto), apprezzato allievo di Yusef Lateef e Paul Bley, per diverso tempo attivo sulla scena musicale di Boston, membro della prestigiosa Either/Orchestra, Greg Burk è un giovane pianista statunitense che da un paio d’anni vive a Roma. Non nuovo a incontri solitari con il pianoforte, in questo The Way In, registrato nel luglio 2003 ad Harvard, e presentato per la prima volta ...

Greg Burk: The Way In

by Michael McCaw
October 31, 2006

Greg Burk The Way In 482 Music 2006

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In an interview published last November by Paul Olson, pianist/composer/improviser Greg Burk revealed a very telling musical approach. In the interview Burk states that he does not view improvisation as a manner of instantaneous composition the way many people often propose. He elaborated that the key to improvisation for him “is the tension between the improviser and his or her material. So if that relationship ...

Greg Burk: The Way In

by Jerry D'Souza
July 21, 2006

Since Greg Burk's first three solo recordings were self-released, they may have gone under the radar for many listeners. This is his first recording to have a wide release, and a welcome one at that. It should help bring Burk's solo music to a deservedly larger audience. His thinking is wide-ranging and agile, and this music should help draw a swell of listeners to his solo work.

Burk is an adventurer who is at ease with both composition ...

Greg Burk: Everyone Should Be Present

by Paul Olson
November 14, 2005

Pianist Greg Burk first came to listeners' attention during his tenure with Russ Gershon's Either/Orchestra, appearing on their Afro-Cubism and Neo-Modernism albums while simultaneously releasing his own CDs Checking In and Carpe Momentum. This year has seen Burk do the almost impossible: in a jazz world crowded with superstar pianists, he's put out the best piano trio album of 2005, Nothing, Knowing, a remarkable session with electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bob Moses. On it, Burk takes his interest ...

Greg Burk Trio: Nothing, Knowing

by Daniel Spicer
September 20, 2005

Let's presume it's not too obvious a question, almost a century since King Oliver taught Satchmo how to blow his soul out the end of his horn and say what he damn well felt like saying. Exactly what is the relationship between improvisation and jazz? Pianist Greg Burk tackles this question on Nothing, Knowing, with nine originals that investigate the tension between composition and improvisation with captivating results.

Supported by two veterans in stellar form, electric bassist Steve ...

Greg Burk Trio: Nothing, Knowing

by John Kelman
August 25, 2005

With the number of pianists whose style stems directly from Keith Jarrett, it's easy to forget that his biggest influence was Paul Bley. While Jarrett has moved on to forge his own personal aesthetic, Bley was the one first provided a more lyrical alternative to Cecil Taylor's aggressively cathartic free play: a more thoughtful, considered improvisation as comfortable with the spaces between the notes, and the quality and overtones of their decay, as with the actual notes themselves.

Since emerging ...

Greg Burk Trio: Nothing, Knowing

by Jerry D'Souza
August 21, 2005

Greg Burk comes along for the third time as leader with Nothing, Knowing and proves beyond any shade of doubt that he has the distinct ability to turn a tune into an exciting and imaginative journey. He sounds more expansive here than in the past, his sense of drive and purpose given new impetus and dynamism. The presence of bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bob Moses makes the music all the more arresting. A hint of exploration sets ...