Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Greg Burk: The Path Here(482 Music 2011)


On his 5th release for 482 Music, the Rome-based pianist travels forward into his past, reuniting with old friends Gerald Cleaver and Jonathan Robinson, and revisiting several of his compositions in a relaxed and melodic album that is his most immediately accessible.“Frankly this is my dream trio." Burk says. "I've known and have been playing with these guys for almost 20 years. Gerald and I go back to the days when we lived in Detroit and it was all swing all the time; I feel right at home playing that way, or really any way, with Gerald. Jonathan is living in Berlin and often comes to Italy to play with me, and vice-versa. We've done tours in Europe and gigs in Boston and NYC when I was living in Boston. This is the trio that recorded Carpe Momentum for Soul Note, with Jerry Bergonzi as a guest.”
Burk has been praised as “a startlingly original improviser” (All About Jazz), “a confident, measured and thoughtful writer” (Cadence) and “a pianist and composer with vigorous, freewheeling ideas that always feel grounded in a well-reasoned structure” (Boston Herald).

Musicians: Greg Burk (piano), Gerald Cleaver (drums), Jonathan Robinson (bass)
"Judging from the breadth of styles and approaches evident on The Path Here, Burk is either a musical chameleon or a protean jazz stylist conversant in a vast swath of jazz history." — George Kanzler, The New York City Jazz Record
482 Music