Robert Burger (born March 26, 1971) is an American composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and music director.

Biography

Burger began playing piano at an early age, starting his formal training at age six with the pianist Jeffrey Marcus. He played in local and school bands during his youth, and then went on to study classical performance at the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medi ...

with pianist Nigel Cox, as well as African American Studies and improvisation under the direction of Yusef Lateef. In 1994, he was recruited as accordionist, to the Bill Frisell Band, featuring Joey Baron, Kermit Driscoll, and Don Byron. Burger moved to San Francisco in 1995 and formed the Tin Hat Trio. With them, he co-wrote and co-produced four critically acclaimed recordings for various major labels. The group's recordings ''Helium'' and ''The Rodeo Eroded'' each feature guest vocal performances by

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

and

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

. In 2001, Burger moved back to New York where he worked closely with composer

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 jazz ...

, contributing as a featured soloist to many of his scores and recordings. He has released two full-length solo recordings on the

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

label, ''Lost Photograph'' (2002) and ''City of Strangers'' (2009). His third album entitled ''The Grid'' (2019) was released on Western Vinyl.

Film work

Burger has scored and contributed as a soloist to a number of feature and documentary films including ''Everything is Illuminated'', directed by

Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber (; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and narrator. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s after appearing in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywoo ...

; ''

Diminished Capacity In criminal law, diminished responsibility (or diminished capacity) is a potential defense by excuse by which defendants argue that although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable for doing so, as their mental func ...

'', directed by

Terry Kinney Terry Kinney (born January 29, 1954) is an American actor and theater director, and is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise, and Jeff Perry. Kinney is best known for his role as E ...

; ''360'', directed by

Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film '' City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, whi ...

; ''The Treatment'', directed by

Oren Rudavsky Oren Rudavsky (born c. 1957) is an American documentary filmmaker specializing in work about individuals and communities outside the mainstream. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1979. Oren Rudavsky is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. ...

; ''

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'', directed by

Miguel Arteta Miguel Arteta (born 1965) is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film ''Chuck & Buck'' (2000), for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and for the films '' The Good Girl'' (2002) ...

; East Of Acadia; ''Bully'', directed by Lee Hirsch; ''

The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan ''The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan'' is a 2010 documentary film directed by Henry Corra, which follows Michael Nolan on the search for his brother McKinley Nolan, a U.S. Army Private who vanished during the Vietnam War. The circumstances of ...

'', directed by Henry Corra; '' Chelsea on the Rocks'', directed by

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; and the Oscar nominated film ''Nebraska'', directed by

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films '' Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), '' About Schmidt'' (2002), '' Sideways'' (2004), '' The ...

. A versatile composer and player, Rob has also served as a "do-it-all, one-stop shop" for commercials and multi-media projects seeking original music. He has worked with clients such as Apple, Toyota, The Guggenheim, PBS, Wall Street Journal, and Mercedes-Benz. His work is permanently featured in the Museum of the City of New York. In 2017, Burger scored the film '' Trouble'', directed by

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's ...

, and starring

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, and

David Morse David Bowditch Morse (born October 11, 1953) is an American actor, singer, television director, and writer. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack "Boomer" Morrison in the medical drama series '' St. Elsewhere'' (1982–88). His film c ...

Music direction and session work

Burger has teamed up with other musicians for much larger scale productions. Beginning in 2003, Burger became an active arranger and music director for various live performances produced by

Hal Willner Hal Willner (April 6, 1956 – April 7, 2020) was an American music producer working in recording, films, television, and live events. He was best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical sty ...

, that celebrated the artistry of

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972) ...

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hal ...

, among others. In 2008, he performed the music of

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely re ...

as a featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has shared the stage with, and has contributed to the recordings of many acclaimed artists including

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

David Hidalgo David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requi ...

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-ear ...

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 se ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, C ...

Antony & the Johnsons Anohni and the Johnsons (previously known as Antony and the Johnsons) is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to r ...

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles " Fast Car" and " Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she release ...

Iron & Wine Samuel "Sam" Ervin Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a l ...

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her " folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weather ...

, and

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

. He has collaborated in the studio with musicians

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...

Brian Blade Brian Blade (born July 25, 1970) is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter. Early life Blade was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. The first music he experienced was gospel and songs of praise at ...

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Greg Cohen Greg Cohen (born July 13, 1953) is an American jazz bassist who has been a member of John Zorn's Masada quartet and worked with numerous other noted musicians for over four decades. Career Cohen plays traditional jazz and other styles, includin ...

, and

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...

. In 2011, after several years of working with

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of Iron & Wine, Burger was asked to produce the song “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” for the soundtrack of ''Twilight Breaking Dawn – Part 1''. He then went on to arrange and provide music direction for the band’s fifth release ''Ghost On Ghost'', and a world tour that followed. In 2014, he was invited to perform in Hal Willner's project Sleeping in the Devil’s Bed: The Music of Daniel Lanois, as part of Toronto's Luminato Festival.

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willi ...

was present and featured, along with

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

. In 2017, Burger was reunited with Iron & Wine to record their sixth album, ''Beast Epic''. The recordings took place in Chicago at the band Wilco's studio, The Loft. Burger worked with composer Daniel Pemberton on the score for the film "Ocean's 8" in 2018, as well as contributed to several albums by various artists, including Rosanne Cash's acclaimed release ''She Remembers Everything''. In the summer of 2019, Burger released his first solo album in nearly a decade, entitled ''The Grid'' on Western Vinyl. The album features a vocal performance by Laurie Anderson.

Discography

As leader

* ''Lost Photograph'' (Tzadik, 2002) * ''City of Strangers'' (Tzadik, 2009) * ''The Grid'' (Western Vinyl, 2019) * ''Marching with Feathers'' (Western Vinyl, 2022) With Tin Hat Trio * ''Helium'' (2000) * ''Memory Is an Elephant'' (1999) * ''The Rodeo Eroded'' (2002) * ''

Book of Silk The ''Divination by Astrological and Meteorological Phenomena'' (), also known as ''Book of Silk'' is an ancient astronomy silk manuscript compiled by Chinese astronomers of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD) and found in the Mawang ...

'' (2004)

As sideman

With

* ''The Shepherd's Dog'' (2007) * ''Around the Well'' (2009) * ''Kiss Each Other Clean'' (2011) * ''Ghost on Ghost'' (2013) * ''Beast Epic'' (2017) * ''Weed Garden'' (2018) With

* ''Alhambra Love Songs'' (2009) * ''Goddess Music for the Ancient Days'' (2010) * ''In Search of the Miraculous'' (2010) * ''Nosferatu'' (2012) With others *

Marc Almond Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. H ...

, ''Stardom Road'' (2007) *

, ''Homeland'' (2010) *

Susana Baca Susana may refer to: * Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), a network of organizations active in the field of sustainable sanitation * Susana (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * ''Susana'' (magazine) ...

, ''Eco De Sombras'' (2000) * Lullaby Baxter, ''Lullaby Baxter'' (2000) *

Jesca Hoop Jessica "Jesca" Ada Hoop (born April 21, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, who writes and performs in diverse musical styles. She has released six studio albums of her own, as well as live, acoustic and dual albums with other ...

, ''Love Letter for Fire'' (2016) *

Will Bernard Will Bernard is a guitarist and band leader. He has led the Will Bernard Band, Will Bernard Trio, Will Bernard 4-tet, and Motherbug. Career In the 1980s Bernard was a member of the Hieroglyphics Ensemble led by Peter Apfelbaum. In the 1990s he fo ...

, ''Medicine Hat'' (1998) * Richard Buckner, ''Meadow'' (2006) * Calexico, ''Garden Ruin'' (2006) * Calexico/Iron & Wine, ''Years to Burn'' (2019) *

Jim Campilongo Jim Campilongo (born July 8, 1958) is a New York roots rock guitarist, known for recording a series of mostly instrumental albums. He is also known for being a member of The Little Willies with Norah Jones. Campilongo primarily plays Fender Tele ...

, ''Table for One'' (1998) *

Laura Cantrell Laura Cantrell (born July 16, 1967) is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee. Biography Cantrell moved to New York City from her native Nashville to study English at Columbia University. She briefly recorded songs with ...

, ''Humming by the Flowered Vine'' (2005) * case/lang/veirs, ''case/lang/veirs'' (2016) *

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...

, ''She Rembembers Everything'' (2018) *

, ''Our Bright Future'' (2008) * Christina Courtin, ''Christina Courtin'' (2009) * Christina Courtin, ''Varsity'' (2013) *

Mike Coykendall Mike Coykendall is a musician, audio engineer, and record producer. Born in Norwich, Kansas in 1963, Coykendall was a member of the Wichita-based Klyde Konnor, which performed and recorded frequently throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. He mov ...

, ''Chasing Away the Dots'' (2012) * Madison Cunningham, ''Revealer'' (2022) *

Alela Diane Alela Diane Menig (born April 20, 1983), known as Alela Diane, is an American singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California. Early life and education Diane was born in Nevada City, California on April 20, 1983. She grew up singing with her ...

, ''Cusp'' (2018) *

Marianne Dissard Marianne Dissard (born 20 May 1969 in France) is a singer, lyricist and author, and filmmaker who lived in the United States from 1985 to 2013, including Tucson, Arizona from 1994 to 2013. "A central figure in Tucson's desert music community" wi ...

, ''L'entredeux'' (2008) *

, ''Easy Come, Easy Go'' (2008) *

Jesse Harris Jesse Harris (born October 24, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist. He has worked with Norah Jones, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Nikki Yanofsky, and Lizz Wright. Early life and education Harris and his twin s ...

, ''Cosmo'' (2010) *

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 ...

, ''Come Away with Me'' (2002) * Norah Jones, ''Feels Like Home'' (2004) *

Tift Merritt Tift may refer to: Places *Tift County, Georgia, a county in south-central Georgia, United States People with the given name * Tift Merritt (born 1975), American singer-songwriter People with the surname *Andrew Tift (born 1968), British portrai ...

, ''Traveling Alone'' (2012) *

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including '' Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),

, ''Young Man in America'' (2012) *

Mix Master Mike Michael Schwartz (born April 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Mix Master Mike, is an American turntablist Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, ...

, ''Anti Theft Device'' (1998) *

Matt Nathanson Matthew Adam Nathanson (born March 28, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock and roll music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic (sometimes a 12-string) and electric guitar, and has played both solo ...

, ''Ernst'' (1997) *

Aoife O'Donovan Aoife O'Donovan ( , ; born November 18, 1982) is an American singer and Grammy award-winning songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer for the string band Crooked Still and she also co-founded the Grammy Award-winning female folk trio I'm ...

, ''Fossils'' (2013) * Oranj Symphonette, ''the Oranj Album'' (1998) *

, ''Comfort of Strangers'' (2006) * Beth Orton, ''Sugaring Season'' (2012) *

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

, ''Survive'' (2012) *

Linda Thompson Linda Diane Thompson (born May 23, 1950) is an American songwriter, former actress and beauty pageant winner. Thompson began her acting career as a " Hee Haw Honey" on the American television variety show '' Hee Haw''. She was also a girlfrien ...

, ''Versatile Heart'' (2007) * Linda Thompson, ''Won't Be Long Now'' (2013) * Tipsy, ''Trip Tease'' (1997) * Tipsy, ''Uh Oh'' (2001) *

Laura Veirs Laura Pauline Veirs (born October 24, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter based out of Portland, Oregon. She is known for her folk/alternative country records and live performances as well as her collaboration with Neko Case and k.d. lang ...

, ''Tumble Bee'' (2011) * Laura Veirs, ''Warp and Weft'' (2013) *

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, ...

, ''Blue Mountain'' (2016) *

, ''West'' (2007) * Lucinda Williams, ''Little Honey'' (2008) *

, ''Want Two'' (2004) * Rufus Wainwright, ''Release the Stars'' (2007)

Soundtracks

As composer of score

* ''Chelsea On The Rocks'' (2008) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2010) * '' Frank The Bastard'' (2013) * '' Trouble'' (2017) * '' Prophecy No.15'' (2021) * '' Because We're Family'' (2022)

As composer of featured works

* ''360'' (2011) * ''Bully'' (2011) * ''Nebraska'' (2013)

As featured soloist

* ''

'' (2002) * ''Invitation to a Suicide'' (2002) * ''Everything is Illuminated'' (2005) * '' Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man'' (2005) * ''The Treatment'' (2006) * ''Waitress'' (2007) * ''American Loser'' (2007) * ''The Rain Horse'' (2008) * ''El General'' (2009) * ''Still Bill'' (2009) * ''Today's Special'' (2009) * ''Paper Man'' (2009) * ''The Nobel Prizewinner'' (2010) * ''Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness'' (2011) * ''

The Swell Season The Swell Season is a folk rock duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová. "The Swell Season" name is derived from Hansard's favourite novel by Josef Škvorecký from 1975 bearing the same title. ...

'' (2011) * ''Twilight Breaking Dawn – Part 1'' (2011) * ''Greetings From Tim Buckley'' (2012) * ''Beyond the Infinite'' (2013) * Ocean's 8 (2018) (Discography and soundtrack credits collected from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

) and Rob Burger’s official website

References

External links

Rob Burger Official Website

Rob Burger AllMusic Artist Page
*
Rob Burger on Last.fm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burger, Rob 1971 births Living people Jazz music arrangers American jazz composers Music directors University of Massachusetts alumni