Charles Burnham (born 1950; also known as Charlie Burnham) is an American

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist and composer. He has a unique highly imaginative style that crosses genres, including bluegrass, delta punk,

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, classical and

chamber jazz Chamber jazz is a genre of jazz involving small, acoustic-based ensembles where group interplay is important. It is influenced aesthetically by the small ensembles of chamber music in musical neoclassicism and is often influenced by classical f ...

. He often performs with a

wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The p ...

. He initially became renowned for his work on

James "Blood" Ulmer James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 8, 1940) is an American jazz, free funk and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". His singing has been called "ragg ...

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

album. The musicians on that album later performed and recorded as

Odyssey the Band The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', the ...

, sometimes known as The Odyssey Band. He was also a member of the

String Trio of New York The String Trio of New York is an American jazz chamber ensemble. The group was founded in 1977, by bassist John Lindberg, violinist Billy Bang, and guitarist James Emery. Though they initially worked on improvisational playing and on their ow ...

, and currently plays in the 52nd Street Blues Project, Hidden City, We Free StRings, Improvising Chamber Ensemble and

the Kropotkins The Kropotkins are an American avant-garde music collective based in Memphis and New York City founded in 1994 by drummer Jonathan Kane and Dave Soldier, who is best known as a violinist but plays banjo in the group. Its other members have includ ...

Session work

He has played on recordings by

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). S ...

, Susie Ibarra,

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

, Steven Bernstein, Queen Esther, Peter Apfelbaum,

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

Ted Daniel Ted Daniel (born June 4, 1943) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Biography He studied trumpet in elementary school, and began his professional career playing local gigs with his childhood friend, the legendary guitarist Sonny Sharrock. ...

Medeski Martin & Wood Medeski Martin & Wood (or MMW) is an American jazz fusion band formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards, Billy Martin on drums, and Chris Wood on bass. The band is influenced by musical traditions including funk and hip hop and ...

, The Woes,

Hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

, Elysian Fields,

Adam Rudolph Adam Rudolph (born September 12, 1955) is a jazz composer and percussionist performing in the post-bop and world fusion media. In 1988, Rudolph met jazz musician Yusef Lateef, and the two would go on to collaborate and perform together for th ...

Jonah Smith Jonah Smith is an American musician, singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. He began his career as a solo artist in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. He has recorded several records and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of America's Got Talent. He was bo ...

, The Heavy Circles,

Mario Pavone Mario Pavone (November 11, 1940 – May 15, 2021) was an American jazz bassist, composer and bandleader. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers that Pavone was not only "great bass player ut also abig-hearted mensch." Early life Pavone was born i ...

Joan As Police Woman Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer who releases music as Joan As Police Woman. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Antony and the Johnsons, a ...

Rick Moranis Frederick Allan Moranis (; born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, songwriter, writer and producer. He appeared in the sketch comedy series ''Second City Television'' (''SCTV'') in the 1980s and several Hollywood (film indu ...

Doug Wamble Doug Wamble (born Samuel Douglas Wamble, October 22, 1972) is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist from Tennessee. Biography Wamble grew up Memphis, Tennessee. He was inspired to play guitar after hearing records by Charlie Christian. He e ...

Steve Swell Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator. Music career Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

Gabrielle Roth Gabrielle Roth (February 4, 1941 – October 22, 2012) was an American dancer and musician in the world music and trance dance genres, with a special interest in shamanism. She created the 5Rhythms approach to movement in the late 1970s; t ...

Robert Musso The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

Jai Uttal Jai Uttal (born June 12, 1951) is an American musician. He is a Grammy-nominated singer and “a pioneer in the world music community with his eclectic East-meets-West sound.” Biography Uttal grew up in New York City and lived in a home filled ...

Soul Syndicate Soul Syndicate, originally called the Rhythm Raiders, were one of the top reggae session bands in Jamaica from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. History In the first half of the 1970s the band from the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston recorded ...

, Bobby Paunetto, Krishna Das,

Sasha Dobson Sasha Dobson (born March 31, 1979) is an American jazz singer from Santa Cruz, California. Early life Dobson comes from a musical family. Her father, Smith Dobson (Smith Weed Dobson IV, 1947–2001) was a pianist who recorded with Mark Murphy ...

Kenny Wollesen Kenny Wollesen (born 1966) is an American drummer and percussionist. Wollesen has recorded and toured with Tom Waits, Sean Lennon, Ron Sexsmith, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, John Lurie, Myra Melford, Steven Bernstein, and John Zorn. He is a foun ...

Kato Hideki Kato Hideki (born 1962 in Nagoya, Japan; 加藤英樹, family name Kato) is a Japanese musician and composer. He was a seminal member of the Tokyo Noise music scene of the late 80s and early 90s, collaborating with Japanese experimental musician ...

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for t ...

, Emily Coates and

Jason Kao Hwang Jason Kao Hwang (born 1957) is a Chinese American violinist and composer. He is known for his unconventional and improvisational jazz violin technique as well as his chamber opera '' The Floating Box: A Story in Chinatown'' which premiered in 200 ...

. He played a musician in the film ''

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

''. He played on the soundtracks for

Northfork ''Northfork'' is a 2003 film directed by Michael Polish and written by Michael and Mark Polish. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2003 and later received a limited release in the United States on July 11, 2003. The film ...

, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man; and an episode of the

Backyardigans ''The Backyardigans'' is a computer-animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It centers on five animal neighbors who imagine themselves on fantast ...

Notable recordings

* James Blood Ulmer – ''

'' (1983) * James Blood Ulmer – ''

Part Time Part Time (stylized as PARTIME) was an American pop band that was fronted by California-based musician David Loca (also credited as David Speck). Loca produced and wrote virtually all of the band's output, with most of their studio recordings c ...

'' (1984) * James Blood Ulmer – ''

Live at the Caravan of Dreams ''Live at the Caravan of Dreams'' is a live album by American guitarist James Blood Ulmer recorded in 1985 at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, Texas, and released on the Caravan of Dreams label.

'' (1985) * String Trio of New York & Jay Clayton – String Trio of New York & Jay Clayton (1988) * Living Colour – '' Time's Up'' (1990) * String Trio of New York – Time Never Lies (1990) * String Trio of New York – Ascendant (1991) * Cassandra Wilson – ''

Blue Light 'til Dawn ''Blue Light 'til Dawn'' is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. Her first album on the Blue Note label, it was released in 1993. It contains Wilson's interpretations of songs by various blues and rock artists, as well as three ...

'' (1993) * Cassandra Wilson – ''

New Moon Daughter ''New Moon Daughter'' is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson that was released by Blue Note in 1995. The album reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' magazine jazz album chart and also won the Grammy Award as the Best Jazz Vocal Pe ...

'' (1995) * James "Blood" Ulmer – '' Forbidden Blues'' (1996) * Odyssey the Band – ''

Reunion Reunion may refer to: * Class reunion * Family reunion Reunion, Réunion, Re-union, Reunions or The Reunion may also refer to: Places * Réunion, a French overseas department and island in the Indian Ocean * Reunion, Commerce City, Colorado, U ...

'' (1998) *

The Kropotkins The Kropotkins are an American avant-garde music collective based in Memphis and New York City founded in 1994 by drummer Jonathan Kane and Dave Soldier, who is best known as a violinist but plays banjo in the group. Its other members have includ ...

– Five Points Crawl (2000) * James "Blood" Ulmer – '' Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions'' (2001) * Masada – '' Voices in the Wilderness'' (2003) * James "Blood" Ulmer – '' No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions'' (2003) * 52nd Street Blues Project – Blues & Grass (2004) * Odyssey the Band – '' Back in Time'' (2005) * Joan as Police Woman – ''

Real Life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on the ...

'' (2006) * Rob Reddy's Gift Horse – A Hundred Jumping Devils (2006) * Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra – MTO, Vol. 1 (2006) *

– ''

Deez to Blues ''Deez to Blues'' is an album by bassist/composer Mario Pavone recorded in 2005 and released on the Playscape label. Reception Allmusic called it an "excellent, forward-thinking date ... Mixing orchestral flourishes with a post-bop vocabulary an ...

'' (Playscape, 2006) * James "Blood" Ulmer – '' Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions'' (2007) * Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra – We Are MTO (2008) *

– Paradise Square (2009) * Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra – MTO plays Sly (2011) * Charlie Burnham / Tony Jones / Kenny Wollesen – Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness (2011) * Hem – Departure & Farewell (2013) * Billie Joe Armstrong / Norah Jones – ''

Foreverly ''Foreverly'' (stylized as ''foreverly'') is a collaborative album by Green Day singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and jazz/pop singer-songwriter Norah Jones. It was released on November 25, 2013, through Reprise Records. ''Foreverly'' is a c ...

'' (2013) *

– Portents of Love (2015) *

– '' Coming Forth by Day'' (2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnham, Charles American folk musicians Chamber jazz musicians American male violinists American jazz violinists American rock violinists American session musicians American male songwriters Musicians from New York City Living people 1950 births Songwriters from New York (state) Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American violinists 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians String Trio of New York members