Home » Jazz Musicians » Dave Burrell
Dave Burrell
Distinguished composer-pianist Dave Burrell is a performing artist of singular stature on the international contemporary music scene. His dynamic compositions, with blues and gospel roots recall the tradition of Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson and Duke Ellington. After majoring in music at the University of Hawaii, he enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1961. After graduating with degrees in composition/arranging and performance in 1965, he moved to New York City, where he quickly established himself as one of the most innovative and original pianists, collaborating with the emerging leaders in contemporary jazz.
Burrell’s Jazz Opera Windward Passages, written in collaboration with Swedish-born poet/lyricist Monika Larsson, blends opera voices with world class jazz soloists, a 21-piece jazz opera orchestra, dancers and chorus. Seldom has the classically trained voice played such a unique improvising roll as in this important, ground-breaking endeavor. Burrell’s dance drama, Holy Smoke, with blue-print by Monika Larsson, is being developed for modern dance and tap. Burrell’s Suite for Violin and Piano is completed and will be orchestrated for symphony orchestra.
Dave Burrell was recently featured on NPR’s nationally syndicated show Fresh Air, hosted by Terry Gross. In January, 2006 Burrell performed solo piano at a symposium, The Lomax Legacy: Folklore in a Globalizing Century, presented by American Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Washington, D.C.
Dave Burrell appears regularly on national and international TV and radio broadcasts, including NPR’s Centennial Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton, Dr. Jazz, Duke Ellington’s Centennial Duke and the Piano, Louis Armstrong’s The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, and Leonard Bernstein: An American Life.
Upcoming performances include the Vision Festival, New York City June 13 with Billy Martin, La Vilette in Paris September 7 with The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield, The Legacy Series, Kingston, New York, September 24 solo piano, Akbar Jazz Festival, Istanbul October 4 with Db3, and Bordeaux Jazz Festival, France November 9 with Burrell’s Italian trio presenting his re-arrangement of La Vie de Boheme.
Burrell wrote an original score to Oscar Micheaux’s black and white film Body and Soul (1925). Some of the music will be featured on Burrell’s forthcoming CD, Db3 (High Two Records). Amulet Records new release, Consequences, features Dave Burrell and percussionist Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin and Wood). Burrell’s project, Leena Conquest Sings the Songs of Dave Burrell, an original music cabaret by Dave Burrell and lyricist Monika Larsson will be recorded in Italy in September, 2006.
Read moreTags
Dave Burrell / Sam Woodyard: The Lost Session, Paris 1979
by Mark Corroto
Listeners would be hard-pressed to name another artist besides Dave Burrell who commands such mastery across jazz's entire timeline, from its ragtime origins to its most adventurous avant-garde territories. The pianist, born in 1940, brings equal authenticity to Jelly Roll Morton's classic compositions and completely free improvisation. His discography spans the works of Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, while his versatility extends across calypso, reggae, stride piano, blues, bebop and opera. Burrell made his mark in ...
Continue ReadingMarion Brown: Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited
by Alberto Bazzurro
Tre brani di Marion Brown e altrettanti di Archie Shepp compongono il primo dei due album riuniti, come sempre meritoriamente, in questo CD, provenendo da quello che rappresenta il debutto dell'altosassofonista georgiano su Impulse!, inciso il 1° dicembre 1966 (dopo un paio di ESP e un Fontana) e pubblicato l'anno seguente. La stessa Impulse!, come già aveva fatto con lo stesso Shepp riferendolo a Coltrane per Four for Trane, ricicla per l'occasione la stessa formula riferendo Brown al collega di ...
Continue ReadingArchie Shepp: The Way Ahead, Kwanza, The Magic of Ju-ju Revisited
by Stefano Merighi
In questa compilation dedicata ad un periodo importante di Archie Shepp, si dovrebbe iniziare l'ascolto dalla fine. Infatti, i quasi venti minuti di “The Magic of Ju-Ju," posti in chiusura del CD, sono dell'aprile 1967; il resto del repertorio è invece stato inciso nel biennio successivo. Pur non riuscendo a comprendere il criterio con cui si assemblano questi cataloghi sonori, è indubbiamente utile comparare alcuni lavori vicini eppure assai differenti di un autore come Shepp, all'epoca sugli scudi ...
Continue ReadingMarion Brown: Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited
by Mark Corroto
It's not too late to catch up with alto saxophonist and composer Marion Brown. Thanks to this excellent reissue and remaster series, you can hear the innovative recordings from this master musician. This release follows his 1965/66 discs Capricorn Moon To Juba Lee Revisited (ezz-thetics, 2019) and 1966/67 discs Why Not? Porto Novo! Revisited (ezz-thetics, 2020). Chris May's excellent liner notes posit an answer to Brown's relative obscurity. He essentially lays the blame on marketing. Record labels and ...
Continue ReadingMarion Brown: Three For Shepp To Gesprachsfetzen Revisited
by Chris May
"It is often those we hear the least that we should listen to the most." So wrote the Guadeloupean pianist Jonathan Jurion on the release of his album Le Temps Fou: The Music Of Marion Brown (Komos, 2019). Just why Marion Brown has become such a rarely acknowledged figure is unclear. He possessed all the qualifications needed to go large plus a few extras for good measure. He was a good-looking man. He dressed well (telling Dave ...
Continue ReadingClifford Thornton: Ketchaoua Revisited + Arthur Jones Trio: Scorpio
by Alberto Bazzurro
Clifford Thornton è una di quelle figure rimaste fin troppo fra le pieghe della mitologia (sia detto ovviamente senza alcun intento ironico) free, e più ancora il pressoché sconosciuto altosassofonista Arthur Jones, l'uno nato a Philadelphia nel 1936 e scomparso nel 1989, l'altro nato a Cleveland nel 1940 e morto nel 1998. Questa preziosa ristampa, che allinea i dischi d'esordio in proprio di entrambi, editi a suo tempo dalla leggendaria Byg Actuel, l'uno, Ketchaoua, nel 1969, l'altro, Scorpio, due anni ...
Continue ReadingDave Burrell: Harlem Rhapsody
by Mark Corroto
It would be an error to characterize pianist Dave Burrell as a witness to history. Avant-garde jazz history that is. The octogenarian was heard in the 1960s groups of Marion Brown, Pharoah Sanders, Noah Howard, Archie Shepp, Sonny Sharrock, Sunny Murray, and Grachan Moncur III, while also exchanging ideas in New York with Albert Ayler, Sam Rivers, and Tony Williams. Burrell is not just a witness; he is the embodiment of jazz history. In the 1990s, together with David Murray, ...
Continue ReadingElysium Furnace Works Kicks Off 2025 Season With A Solo Piano Festival, Beginning With Dave Burrell on Saturday, March 1 in Beacon, NY
Source:
James Keepnews
Elysium Furnace Works is proud the announce the initial concerts for its 2025 season. To kick off 2025, EFW will present its very first solo piano festival. On each Saturday in March this year, EFW will present five of the most brilliant pianists performing anywhere today. All five concerts as part of the EFW Solo Piano Festival will be presented at St. Andrew & St. Luke's Episcopal Church, located at 15 South Ave. in Beacon, NY — each concert will ...
read more
Vision Festival 19 Concludes With Pianos And A Voice.
Source:
Chris Rich
Along with the celebrations of Amiri Baraka and Roy Campbell on the final day of Vision Festival 19 are several ensemble situations for piano from a duet fir Angelica Sanchez, a trio for Connie Crothers and the venerable Dave Burrell in striking quartet with Kidd Jordan, William Parker and Hamid Drake. And the voice of Fay Victor in a drum duet makes a perfect contrast. It is a quintessence of the Vision Festival outlook that Art for Arts has carefully ...
read more
Inspired By The 150th Anniversary Of The Civil War, Concert And Exhibition At The Rosenbach Feature Original Work By Renowned Pianist & Composer Dave Burrell
Source:
The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia
World-renowned jazz pianist Dave Burrell will once again debut original work at The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia in exclusive concert performances on Thursday, April 10 at 6:00 pm and Saturday, April 12 at 7:00 pm. The fourth in a five-year series of concerts commemorating the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War, Burrell’s work for 2014 explores fascinating new territory. Entitled Listening to Lincoln, the piece is inspired by both the massacre of black Union soldiers at the ...
read more
Composer Dave Burrell’s Civilians During War Time Premieres at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Jan. 18 & 21
Source:
Canary Promotion + Design
World-renowned jazz pianist performs new compositions inspired by Civil War research Wednesday, Jan. 18, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, 2:00-3:30 p.m. and 7:00-8:30 p.m. Rosenbach Museum & Library, 2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia Free with museum admission, but RSVP is required. To RSVP, call (215) 732-1600, ext. 123 or email [email protected]. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and free for children under five. For more information visit rosenbach.org. The Rosenbach Museum & Library welcomes ...
read more
Dave Burrell Explores 150th Anniversary of the Start of the Civil War January 19 & 22 at Rosenbach Museum & Library
Source:
Canary Promotion + Design
The Rosenbach Museum & Library Celebrates Civil War 150: New exhibition The Civil War Begins opens December 15; Today in the Civil War blog offers daily look at the unfolding saga of the War; Jazz musician Dave Burrell to perform Portraits of Civil War Heroes, January 19 & 22 Philadelphia, PA: The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia is home to an extraordinary and unique Civil War-era collection. Beginning in November 2010, the museum will present several programs commemorating Civil ...
read more
Dave Burrell Plays His Songs Featuring Leena Conquest (Rai Trade, 2010)
Source:
Music and More by Tim Niland
Pianist Dave Burrell and vocalist Leena Conquest have both been associated with the jazz avant-garde, Burrell on the basis of some very influential records as a leader and a sideman since the 1960's, and Conquest for her wonderful singing on various projects by bassist William Parker. On this album they defy any easy pigeon holing or categorization, performing a set of Burrell's original compositions and lyrics. Collaborating with poet and lyricist Monika Larsson, Burrell develops a set of lyrics that ...
read more
Expansion / Momentum
Source:
Ars Nova Workshop
On September 9 and 10, Ars Nova Workshop will present two back-to-back nights of performances at Philadelphia Art Alliance to celebrate the 70th birthday of legendary jazz pianist Dave Burrell. For this very special occasion, Philadelphia-based Burrell will be playing with bassist William Parker and native Philadelphian and multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, flute, clarinets) Sabir Mateen. These three artists have worked together on several occasions, including with Parker's The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield project. Since he began making music in the ...
read more
The Rosenbach Presents Jazz Pianist Dave Burrell's Premiere of Syllables of the Poetry of Marianne Moore, Feb. 20 & 23
Source:
Canary Promotion + Design
The Rosenbach presents famed jazz pianist Dave Burrell's premiere of Syllables of the Poetry of Marianne Moore; Feb. 20 & 23 a series of new compositions inspired by the museum's diverse collections PHILADELPHIA - The Rosenbach Museum & Library welcomes Philadelphia's Dave Burrell, famed composer, jazz pianist and Musician-in-Residence to the museum on Wednesday, February 20 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, February 23 at 2:00 p.m. Burrell will premiere Syllables of the Poetry of Marianne Moore, a series of new ...
read more
Pianist Dave Burrell Celebrates 65 Years, Performs Duets with Billy Martin
Source:
All About Jazz
This month, pianist/composer Dave Burrell celebrates his 65th birthday. Best known for his remarkable contributions to recordings from saxophonists Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders and David Murray, Burrell’s recent accomplishments as a leader are best described by critic Francis Davis: “Burrell crams a century of jazz history into every chugging stride episode and churning dissonance. Encyclopedic as well as eccentric, he’s a living treasure." On Monday, October 10 at 8pm, Dave Burrell and percussionist Billy Martin (from Medeski, Martin and Wood) ...
read more
Oliver Lake Trio + Dave Burrell Duo in Philadelphia
Source:
All About Jazz
Ars Nova Workshop presents:
Saturday, June 11 | 8pm OLIVER LAKE TRIO with Oliver Lake, tenor saxophone Michael Gregory Jackson, guitar Pheeroan akLaff, drums
Oliver Lake (b. 1942) was a founding member of St. Louis' Black Artist's Group (BAG) - a collective akin to Chicago's AACM - which also included Julius Hemphill and Charles “Bobo" Shaw. In 1976, with Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett, and David Murray, he founded the World Saxophone ...
read more
Photos
Music
Downfall
From: MomentumBy Dave Burrell
Videos
Similar
Dave Holland
bass
Anthony Braxton
woodwinds
Eric Dolphy
woodwinds
McCoy Tyner
piano
Sun Ra
piano
Cecil Taylor
piano
William Parker
bass
Andrew Hill
piano
Jack DeJohnette
drums
Nels Cline
guitar, electric
Evan Parker
saxophone, soprano
Paul Bley
piano
Fred Anderson
saxophone
Don Pullen
piano
Steve Lacy
saxophone, soprano
Lennie Tristano
piano
Dave Burrell
Location: Philadelphia
Instrument: Piano
Born: September 10, 1940
