Ronnie Burrage and Holographic Principle

Drummer, percussionist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, band leader and music educator Ronnie Burrage was born on October 19, 1959 in St. Louis, Missouri. His style draws most notably from the musical genres of “jazz”, “funk” and “soul”. Burrage sang in The St. Louis Cathedral Boys Choir from ages seven to eleven, and had the opportunity to perform with Duke Ellington, one of the greatest musical figures to ever live, at the incredibly young age of only nine years. He was introduced to “jazz” by listening to music every day, which was typically presented to him by his mother, his uncles and grandparents. He played drums, percussion, piano and vibraphone, and sang in “funk”, “R&B”, and “jazz” groups, including “The Soul Flamingos”, “Fontella Bass”, “The Oliver Sain Band”, “Third Circuit & Spirit”,” Rainbow Glass” and “Expression Jazz Quintet”. From the ages 15 to 17, Ronnie was a member of “No Commercial Potential” with keyboardist Mark Friedrick, bassist Darryl Mixon and guitarist Richie Daniels. They served as the opening act for pianist/keyboardist George Duke and Canadian “pop” singer/songwriter Gino Vannelli. Burrage played in clubs, concert halls, festivals and other assorted venues, including the annual “Afro Day in the Park” in St. Louis, Missouri. As a member of The St. Louis Metropolitan Jazz Quintet in the early 1980’s.

In 1978, on a full music scholarship, Ronnie Burrage attended The University of North Texas. When he was 17, he moved to New York City and began playing with St. Louis musicians the likes of, John Hicks, Hamiet Bluiett and the Bowie brothers, trumpeter Lester, trombonist and vocalist Joseph Bowie. Ronnie was a founding member of the popular Punk Rock/Funk/Jazz group now led by Joe Bowie, “Defunkt”. His working relationships continued to grow with bassist’s Teruo Nakamura, and Major Holley and the virtuosic pianist Sir Roland Hanna. Ronnie’s career thrust into notoriety by working with Sonny Fortune, which led to his three-year stint with McCoy Tyner, during this time he also worked with Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Jackie McLean, Aurther Blythe and many others. After working with trumpet Woody Shaw, Burrage founded an “avant-garde jazz” group named “Third Kind of Blue” with bassist Anthony Cox and saxophonist John Purcell. In the 1990’s, he began producing and recording artist like, violinist Billy Bang, saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, The World Saxophone Quartet. He’s recorded with Courtney Pine, hornist and composer Gunther Schuller, and saxophonist Julius Hemphill’s notable recording, “Big Band”.[2]

“The Burrage Ensemble” was Ronnie’s first band, playing primarily in New York City from 1980–1983, and at “jazz” festivals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Missouri, Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Members were pianist Kenny Kirkland, electric bassist Marcus Miller and saxophonist Joe Ford. Other members of the ensemble included trumpeter Rasul Siddik, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, bassist Avery Sharpe, trumpeter’s Wynton Marsalis and Wallace Roney.

READ RONNIE’S FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE

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