Ronnie Burrage (born James Ronaldo Burrage October 19, 1959) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

drummer. His style draws from

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

, and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

Career

He was born in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States. Burrage sang in the St. Louis Cathedral boys' choir from age seven to eleven and performed with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

at the age of nine. He was introduced to jazz by listening to music every day from uncles and grandparents. He played drums, percussion, and vibraphone and sang in funk, R&B, and jazz groups, including The Soul Flamingos,

Fontella Bass Fontella Marie Bass (July 3, 1940 – December 26, 2012) was an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter best known for her number-one R&B hit " Rescue Me" in 1965. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award twice. Early life Fontella Bass was b ...

Oliver Sain Oliver Sain Jr. (March 1, 1932 – October 28, 2003) was an American saxophonist, songwriter, bandleader, drummer and record producer, who was an important figure in the development of rhythm and blues music, notably in St Louis, Missouri. ...

, Third Circuit & Spirit, Rainbow Glass, and Expression Jazz Quintet. From age 15 to 17, Burrage was a member of No Commercial Potential with Mark Friedrick on keyboards, Darryl Mixon on bass, and Richie Daniels on guitar. They were the opening act for

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

and

Gino Vannelli Gino Vannelli (born June 16, 1952) is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter who had several hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. His best-known singles include "People Gotta Move" (1974), "I Just Wanna Stop" (1978), "Living Inside Myself" (1981) an ...

. Burrage played in clubs, concerts, and venues, including the annual Afro Day in the Park in St. Louis. When he was 17, he moved to New York City, and played with

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in ...

Defunkt Defunkt is an American musical group founded by the trombonist and singer Joseph Bowie in 1978 in New York City. Their music touches on elements of punk rock, funk, and jazz. Career Joseph Bowie is the brother of big band musician Byron Bo ...

Teruo Nakamura was a Taiwanese-Japanese soldier of the Imperial Japanese Army who fought for Japan in World War II and did not surrender until 1974. He was the last known Japanese holdout to surrender after the end of hostilities in 1945. Military service Na ...

Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

, and

Major Holley Major "Mule" Holley Jr. (July 10, 1924 – October 25, 1990) was an American jazz upright bassist. Biography Holley was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He attended the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Holley played ...

. In 1978, on a full music scholarship, he attended

North Texas State University The University of North Texas (UNT) is a Public university, public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private Normal school, teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 y ...

. As a member of the St. Louis Metropolitan Jazz Quintet in the early 1980s, he worked with musicians coming through St. Louis, such as Arthur Blythe, Andrew Hill,

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

, and

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA ...

. After working with

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

, he founded an

avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz and experimental jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through to the late 1960s. Orig ...

group named Third Kind of Blue with Anthony Cox and John Purcell. In the 1990s, he recorded with Billy Bang,

Hamiet Bluiett Hamiet Bluiett (; September 16, 1940 – October 4, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument was the baritone saxophone, and he was considered one of the finest players of this instrument. A mem ...

Sonny Fortune Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (May 19, 1939 – October 25, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist. Fortune played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute. Biography He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...

Courtney Pine Courtney Pine, (born 18 March 1964), is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder in the 1980s of the black British band the Jazz Warriors. Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also ...

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...

, and the

World Saxophone Quartet The World Saxophone Quartet is an American jazz ensemble founded in 1977, incorporating elements of free jazz, R&B, funk and South African jazz into their music. The original members were Julius Hemphill (alto and soprano saxophone, flute), ...

. The Burrage Ensemble was his first band, playing primarily in New York City from 1980–1983 and at jazz festivals in Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Members were

Kenny Kirkland Kenneth David Kirkland (September 28, 1955 – November 12, 1998) was an American pianist and keyboardist. Biography Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, Kirkland was six when he first sat down at a piano keyboard. After years ...

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

, and Joe Ford. Other members of the ensemble included

Rasul Siddik Rasul Olufemi Siddik, sometimes spelled Rasul Sadik (born Jan Corlus Mahr; September 20, 1949) is an American jazz trumpeter. He is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Early life Siddik was born in St. Lo ...

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...

Avery Sharpe Avery Sharpe (born August 23, 1954) is an American jazz double-bassist, electric bassist, composer, educator and founder of the artist-owned record label, JKNM Records. Sharpe has a distinguished percussive and rhythmic approach on double bass. ...

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...

, and

Wallace Roney Wallace Roney (May 25, 1960 – March 31, 2020) was an American jazz (hard bop and post-bop) trumpeter. He has won 1 Grammy award and has two nominations. Roney took lessons from Clark Terry and Dizzy Gillespie and studied with Miles Davis from ...

. In 1989, he performed in Charles Mingus'

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

. At

Jazzmobile Jazzmobile, Inc. is based in New York City, and was founded in 1964 by Daphne Arnstein, an arts patron and founder of the Harlem Cultural Council and Dr. William "Billy" Taylor. It is a multifaceted, outreach organization committed to bringing "A ...

from 1994–2002, he was instructor in drums and percussion while also teaching at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia from 1994 to 1996. He was a substitute instructor at

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

in New York City from 1992 to 2000. He is producer and artistic director at BlueNoise Studio in Frederick, Maryland. At

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

he teaches hip hop and culture, African- and African-American studies, and Integrative Arts.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* ''Third Kind of Blue'' (Minor Music, 1986) * '' Four Play'' ( DIW, 1990) with

Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after ...

, James Williams and Richard Davis * ''Shuttle'' (Sound Hills, 1993) with

Cyrus Chestnut Cyrus Chestnut (born January 17, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for ''Time'', wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon notes ...

* ''Invitation'' ( Candid, 2000) * ''Just Natural'' (

West Wind A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction. Mythology and Literature In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds. In Greek mythology, ...

, 2001) * ''In It'' (RoBurrage, 2004) * ''Bluenoise'' (

CD Baby CD Baby, Inc. is an online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. The CD Baby music store was shut down in March 2020 with a statement that "C ...

, 2010)

As co-leader

* ''The Young Lions,'' Live at the Kool Jazz Festival 1982 (Elektra Musician, 1983) * ''Third Kind of Blue,'' Trio w/John Purcell and Anthony Cox (Minor Music, 1985) * Abstract Truth (w/ John Purcell, Harry Pepl, Kenny Davis, Paul Zauner) - ''Beginnings'' ( Amadeo, 1994) * Paul Zauner, Jean-Paul Bourelly, Harry Sokal,

Lonnie Plaxico Lonnie Plaxico (born September 4, 1960) is an American jazz double bassist. Biography Plaxico was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a musical family, and started playing the bass at the age of twelve, turning professional at fourteen (playing both ...

- ''Mag Five'' (PAO, 1998)

As sideman

With Ray Anderson *''

It Just So Happens ''It Just So Happens'' is an album by trombonist Ray Anderson which was recorded in 1987 and released on the Enja label.

'' (Enja, 1987) With

* ''The Clarinet Family'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1987) * ''Bluiett's Barbecue Band'' ( Mapleshade, 1996) * Bluiett Baritone Nation - ''Libation for the Baritone Saxophone Nation'' (Justin Time, 1998) * Bluiett Baritone Saxophone Group - ''Live at the Knitting Factory'' (Knitting Factory, 1998) With

* ''Invitation'' (

Why Not Why Not may refer to: Film and TV * '' Why Not? with Shania Twain'', an American TV show * '' Pourquoi pas!'' (''Why Not!''), a 1977 French film starring Sami Frey * ''Why Not?'', a 2019 short thriller movie directed by Buğra Mert Alkayalar ...

, 1987) * ''

Four in One ''Four in One'' is the umbrella title for a wheel series broadcast in the United States on the NBC television network as part of its 1970-71 schedule in the Wednesday 10 PM Eastern time slot. ''Four in One'' consisted of six episodes of each of ...

'' (Blue Note, 1994) * ''

A Better Understanding ''A Better Understanding'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Fortune which was recorded in 1995 and released on the Blue Note label.Shanachie, 1999) With Joe Locke * ''Present Tense'' (

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

, 1989) * ''Etch a Sketch'' (Steeplechase, 1991) With

* ''Live at Carnegie Hall'' (Agharta, 1979) * ''Big Apple'' (Agharta, 1980) * ''Route 80'' (Agharta, 1985) With

Daniel Schnyder Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961 in Zurich) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music. Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. H ...

* ''The City'' (

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...

, 1988) * ''Decoding the Message'' (Enja, 1989) With

* ''Unspoken Words'' ( Sunnyside, 1988) * ''Extended Family'' (JPNM, 1993) With Jarek Smietana * ''Ballads and Other Songs'' (Starling, 1994) * ''You Never Know'' (Power Bros., 1997) With

Jack Walrath Jack Arthur Walrath (born May 5, 1946) is an American post-bop jazz trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles, Gary Peacock, Charles Mingus, and Glenn Ferris, among others. Biography Walrath was born in Stuart, Florida. ...

* '' Master of Suspense'' (Blue Note, 1987) * ''

Neohippus ''Neohippus'' is an album by trumpeter Jack Walrath which was recorded in 1988 and released on the revamped Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1988) * ''

Out of the Tradition ''Out of the Tradition'' is an album by trumpeter Jack Walrath which was recorded in 1990 and released on the Muse label in 1992.992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...

* '' Gut Feelings'' (Muse, 1990

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...

With

* ''The Breath of Life'' (Elektra Musician/Nonesuch, 1992) * ''Takin It 2 the Next Leve'' (Justin Time, 1996) With others * Ray Anderson - ''It Just So Happens'' (Enja, 1987) * Billy Bang - ''Bang On'' (Justin Time, 1997) *

Dale Barlow Dale Barlow (born Sydney, Australia, 25 December 1959) is a jazz saxophonist, flute player and composer. He has a Masters of Music degree begun at City College New York under Ron Carter and completed at ANU Canberra. He has received ARIA Awards, ...

- ''Timeline Observatory'' (The Sessions, 2012) *

Kelvyn Bell Kelvyn Bell (born June 19, 1956, St. Louis) is an American guitarist and vocalist who plays in jazz and funk idioms. Bell studied guitar under Oliver Lake and, through Lake, became a member of the Black Artists Group, meeting musicians such as ...

- ''Kelynator'' (Blue Heron, 1986) *

Stanley Cowell Stanley Cowell (May 5, 1941 – December 17, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and co-founder of the Strata-East Records label. Early life Cowell was born in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing the piano around the age of four, and became interest ...

Trio (w/

Cecil McBee Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American jazz bassist. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a sideman to a number of jazz albums. Biography Early life and career McBee was born in Tu ...

) - ''Close to You Alone'' (DIW, 1990) *

Ronnie Cuber Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...

- ''Live with Randy Brecker, Lonnie Smith at the Blue Note'' (Pro Jazz, 1986) *

- ''Defunkt'' (Hannibal, 1979) * Richard Davis and Friends - ''Live at Sweet Basil's'' (Sweet Basil, 1991) * Santi Debriano - ''Soldiers of Fortune'' (Freelance, 1989) *

Barbara Dennerlein Barbara Dennerlein (born 25 September 1964 in Munich) is a German jazz organist. She has achieved particular critical acclaim for using the bass pedalboard on a Hammond organ and for integrating synthesizer sounds onto the instrument, and was de ...

- ''Straight Ahead'' (Enja, 1988) *

Kevin Eubanks Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (born November 15, 1957) is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led the Primetime Band on the short lived ''The Jay Le ...

- ''Guitarist'' (Elektra Musician, 1985) *

Chico Freeman Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Award ...

- '' Destiny's Dance'' (Contemporary, 1981) * Daved Friedman - ''Shades of Change'' (Enja, 1986) *

Mac Gollehon Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...

- ''Nostalgia'' (Half Note, 1999) *

Eddie Gomez Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

- ''Live in Moscow'' (B&W, 1993) *

- ''Roland Hanna Plays Gershwin'' (LRC, 1993) * Julius Hemphill Big Band - ''Bordertown'' (Novus/RCA, 1988) *

John Hicks Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economic ...

- ''

Trio + Strings ''Trio + Strings'' is an album by pianist John Hicks, recorded in 1997. Recording and music The album was recorded at Mapleshade Studio, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on September 23, 24, and 27, 1997.

'' (Mapleshade, 1997) *

Shunzo Ohno is a Japanese trumpeter, composer and arranger. In 1974 Ohno accepted Art Blakey's offer and went to the U.S. He made recordings in cooperation with famous musicians, and some of his songs sold very well. He played active parts as a member of ...

(w/Kenny Kirkland, Marcus Miller a.o.) - ''Antares'' (Electra Bird, 1981) *

Eric Person Eric Person (born May 2, 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone player and leader of Meta-Four and Metamorphosis. Since coming to New York City in 1982, Person has performed an ...

- ''Arrival'' (Soul Note, 1992) *

- ''Modern Day Jazz Story'' (Verve, 1995) *

Ed Schuller Edwin Gunther Schuller (January 11, 1955) is an American jazz bassist and composer. His father is Gunther Schuller, a composer, horn player, and music professor, and his younger brother is drummer George Schuller. Career A native of New York Ci ...

- ''Snake Dancing'' (Tutu, 1998) *

- ''Out of the Blues'' (GM, 1991) *

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

- ''Gemini'' (Archie Ball, 2007) *

Dave Stryker Dave Stryker (born March 30, 1957) is an American jazz guitarist. He has recorded over twenty-five albums as a leader and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany. Career Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebr ...

- ''Stryke Zone'' (Steeplechase, 1991) *

- ''Live Montreux-New York Connection'' (Swiss CBS, 1979) *

Fred Wesley Fred Wesley (born July 4, 1943) is an American trombonist who worked with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s and Parliament-Funkadelic in the second half of the 1970s. Biography Wesley was born the son of a high school teacher and big band lead ...

and

Kenny Garrett Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis's band. His primary instruments are alto and ...

- ''New York Funk'' (Jim Payne, 1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrage, Ronnie 1959 births Living people American jazz drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians