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Rob Burger
New York native, Rob Burger, has developed his talents as an arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from over two decades of acclaimed collaborations. These include a diverse roster comprising of John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Marianne Faithfull, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, k.d. Lang, Neko Case, Calexico and Iron & Wine.
A lifelong musician, Rob began his musical journey at the piano, starting to learn at the age of four. He would go on to study under jazz luminaries Max Roach, Archie Shepp, and Yusef Lateef at the University of Massachusetts. Alongside an impressive formal education, Rob’s informal education consisted of frequent visits to New York City’s creative hubs, The Knitting Factory and The Kitchen in the 80s and early 90s. It was in these cultural establishments that Rob became acquainted with the likes of Arthur Russell, David Byrne, and Laurie Anderson.
With the avant-garde door having long been kicked open, Burger relocated to San Francisco, and made a lasting impression upon the area’s music scene with his chamber-music collective, Tin Hat Trio. It was during this time, that Rob furthered both his session collaborations and film-score work. When the Tin Hat Trio disbanded in the early ‘00s, Burger found himself back in NYC, working closely with the composer John Zorn, contributing to many of his recordings.
Rob has composed and contributed to numerous films including Ocean’s 8, Nebraska, The Holdovers, Everything Is Illumuninated, Bully, and has scored for clients such as Apple, BritBox, The Guggenheim, Wall Street Journal, PBS, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz. Rob’s work is permanently featured at the Museum of the City of New York
Rob released his first two solo albums Lost Photograph and City Of Strangers on the label Tzadik during his time in New York. In 2011, a move to Portland, Oregon, inspired a new studio set-up with an enviable collection of vintage keyboards, and a new album project, The Grid.
The Grid “recombines neo-classical soundscapes, 70’s kosmische, and jaunts of 20th century exotica into a completely unique genre-quilt that synopsizes his long musical trek through multiple cities, scenes and sounds.” The album, featuring Laurie Anderson, was released in 2019 by the label Western Vinyl.
Rob’s newest solo venture, Marching with Feathers, departs from the controlled exotica and kosmiche of 2019’s The Grid towards a genreless seesaw of electrified apprehension and capacious piano rumination. The album was released in early 2022.
Rob now lives and works from his studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Rob Burger: City of Strangers
by Warren Allen
Whether in his playing as a founding member of the chamber jazz Tin Hat Trio, or in his sideman appearances with everyone from Iron & Wine to Laurie Anderson, Rob Burger brings an exotic and evocative touch to his music. John Zorn has featured Burger's accordion and/or piano on many soundtrack albums, and Burger's City of Strangers reflects that influence. These are simple melodies which blend blues, folk, exotica, world, electronica, jazz and ambient influences into 31 lush film cues. ...
Continue ReadingNorah Jones: Come Away With Me
by C. Michael Bailey
Few artists have generated as much press in recent memory as Ms. Norah Jones. No fewer than five thoughtful reviews have been published in this magazine alone . A unifying theme found in all criticism is the question of whether the music Jones plays is jazz. This might be similar to the question of whether the music Josh Groban or Andrea Bocchelli is classical.
In keeping with the ecumenical spirit of this magazine, I submit that it makes little, or ...
Continue ReadingNorah Jones: Come Away With Me
by Roger Crane
Okay--first things first. Yes, in my opinion, the strikingly beautiful, vaguely exotic Norah Jones is worthy of the buzz and publicity that she is receiving. But is she a jazz singer? Probably not but I don't know why anyone should care. Her singing is certainly jazz influenced. Jones does not use her lovely voice as a horn at the expense of lyrics. Jones is a natural storyteller and the stories that she chose to tell on her impressive debut, Come ...
Continue ReadingNorah Jones: Come Away With Me
by Bobby Dodd
One can't help being curious about the contents of Norah Jones' music collection after listening to her debut, “Come Away With Me". They would probably not be far off in assuming she grew up singing into various makeshift microphones around her household alongside the vocals of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, and Sarah Mclachlan. Despite the album's various jazz standards, one should not be so naïve to classify Norah Jones as a jazz singer. Hardcore jazz ...
Continue ReadingNorah Jones: Come Away With Me
by Jim Santella
Convincing in her storytellin' role, Norah Jones sings popular ballads with an emphasis on the blues. Her delicate voice sparkles gently alongside the band's twangy guitar chorus and straightforward rhythm section. She accompanies on piano. The title song, resembling a spiritual, beckons the listener to waltz away with her to a place where life will be better: better than the tension-filled surroundings we face all too often. Her original, the song belies Jones' fragile persona and warm soul. Country ballads ...
Continue ReadingNorah Jones: Come Away With Me
by Jim Santella
Convincing in her storytellin' role, Norah Jones sings popular ballads with an emphasis on the blues. Her delicate voice sparkles gently alongside the band's twangy guitar chorus and straightforward rhythm section. She accompanies on piano. The title song, resembling a spiritual, beckons the listener to waltz away with her to a place where life will be better: better than the tension-filled surroundings we face all too often. Her original, the song belies Jones' fragile persona and warm soul. Country ballads ...
Continue ReadingDmitri Matheny: Penumbra (The Moon Sessions)
by Jim Santella
Dmitri Matheny and Dave Ellis are tight. Their flugelhorn and tenor saxophone complement each other well, providing harmony, added color, and tonal variety. With a theme album that refers to the majestic beauty of the moon's presence in the sky that we all experience -- a common bond around the world -- the leader offers a set of beautiful and interesting pieces. The title track is a slow ballad and a feature for John ...
Continue Reading“An astonishing musician with a profound compositional sense of how to do just the right thing at the right time.”– John Zorn
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