“font-family: Verdana; line-height: 13px;”>St. Louis’ vast extended jazz family has another major homecoming of a native musical son to celebrate: multi-instrumentalist and composer Ronnie Burrage will play Robbie’s House of Jazz on July 22 and 23.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Burrage comes to us from the road – he has played everywhere, with everyone – and from his new home base in central Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses he has designed at Penn State University.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>He brings us a new record,
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Spirit Guides: Truth & Love Music recording facilitated by his professor gig and its leverage to bring musicians – and poets – to campus.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Burrage’s grandfather, Allen David Mahr, was a poet, and Burrage has words in his blood. St. Louis poet Quincy Troupe is featured on
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Spirit Guides Burrage are joined by St. Louis guitarist Kelvyn Bell. Andy Ninvalle – a West African transplanted to Amsterdam – raps, as do three of Burrage’s students from his hip-hop and culture course. In a homage to his mother, Cosandre Burrage, and her struggle against cancer, the son’s soaring vocables reach for language in an arc of pain and hope.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>In fact, many of his spirit guides on
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Spirit Guides kin. That poet grandfather, who influenced Shirley LeFlore, stamped out the rhythms of this born drummer. His mother, a pianist, is probably his single strongest shaping influence. And his uncle, the Paris-based musician Rasul Siddik, plays daring trumpet and flutes on the record.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>At Robbie’s this month, Burrage will be accompanied onstage by none of these spirit guides, though one expects a large turnout of family and friends. A local club gig does not afford the opportunity to fly in musicians from every corner of the country and globe, and Burrage’s home city – a complaint one hears often from the jazz luminaries shaped in St. Louis – has not welcomed him as warmly as other cities have.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>At Robbie’s, he will appear in the Ronnie Burrage Trio, joined by two strong local musicians, Bob DeBoo on bass and Jeff Anderson on saxophones. They will be learning a new book for this gig. “We’ll be playing my originals, maybe a few standards,” Burrage said. “There is so much music I have written, all I am interested in doing now is developing all the music I have written.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Burrage writes in a broad range. He has performed with Wayne Hancock and Joseph Bowie, and performed their compositions; his own work merits comparison to theirs. “My music is diverse, but as a whole it goes on a journey,” he said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Music has been a journey for Ronnie Burrage – a unique one no one could ever duplicate. As a boy of 8 he won an audition to perform with Duke Ellington. His uncle introduced him to BAG and outsider jazz from an early age, stretching his horizons. By his early teens he was holding down the drum chair in a band featuring local legends Freddy Washington, Willie Akins, James “Iron Head” Mathews and John Mixon. Before he was old enough to drive he was leading his own fusion group; before he was old enough to serve in the armed forces, he was gone for New York.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>The American “font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>spoke to Burrage the morning after a gig in Atlanta where he had been joined onstage by Russell Gunn, trumpet player and composer from East St. Louis. Burrage said he and Gunn talked about how they have a unique connection when they play together that is drawn from their shared roots.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>“St. Louis is very special,” Burrage said. “When you make your mind up to play music, the cats there really find a sound – they take the time to develop their sound. It’s a place that enables you to develop a sound with a uniqueness as to who you are.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>The Ronnie Burrage Trio will perform Friday and Saturday, July 22 and 23, at Robbie’s House of Jazz, 20 Allen St. in Webster Groves. Call 314-968-5556.
