Glenn Gould, Eric Satie, Bill Evans, Ray Charles, Allen Toussaint, Booker T, Sun Ra, Herbie Nichols, Monk, Mingus, Messiaen, Mancini, Zorn, Waits, Neil Young, Ribot, Harry Partch, John Cage, Arthur Russell, Morton Feldman, Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Ives, Eno, Fats, Fats, Elvis, Elvis, Latin Playboys, Blue Sky Boys, Delmores, Louvins, Everly Bros., Davis Sisters, Sinatra, Willie Nelson, George Jones, The Band, Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, John Simon, John Hammond, Phil Spector, Bacharach, Billie, Bessie, Caetano, Gil, Motown, Chess, Sun, Stax/Volt, Specialty, Folkways, Son House, Charley Patton, Washington Phillips, Sol Hoopii, John Fahey, Moondog, Beefheart, Bonzo, Prince, Sly, Piazzola, Bollywood, Mali, Rembetika, Bernard Herrmann, Nino Rota, Ennio, Django, The Kinks, Nicky Hopkins, Dr. John, Faces, Velvets, Pink Floyd, The Soft Machine, Joe Meek, Bob Moog, Harry Chamberlin, RCA, Silvertone, Casiotone, ukes & ukelins, dulcimer, banjar, jew's harp, etc.
Sounds Like
"Rob Burger's playing is built around resilient and evocative melodies, making any of the subtly experimental arrangement approaches seem as natural as toast in the morning." -Signal to Noise
Born in New York, composer, arranger, producer and performer Robert Burger built his musical reputation in the Bay Area during the 1990's, after having received his formal education at the University of Massachusetts in improvisation and classical piano. It was en route to the West Coast that Robert picked up the accordion as a natural extension of his piano studies, and shortly thereafter, that he kicked off his professional career toting his squeezebox alongside the other Bill Frisell Band members on the jazz luminary's North American and European tours. Mr. Burger subsequently co-founded the Tin Hat Trio with whom he toured extensively, co-produced, co-wrote, and recorded four full-length records on various labels. In the meanwhile, Burger utilized his multi-instrumental capabilities collaborating with a diverse range of artists including Rufus Wainwright, Lucinda Williams, Antony, Beth Orton, Iron & Wine, Calexico, Richard Buckner, Marianne Faithfull, Susana Baca, and Laurie Anderson. At the end of 2002, after returning to the East Coast, he released a recording of his own compositions entitled "Lost Photograph" on the Tzadik label. A remarkably versatile musician, Burger has contributed as an arranger, and multi-instrumentalist to a number of films including "The Good Girl," "Everything Is Illuminated," as well as a handful of John Zorn's brilliant scores. He has performed the works of Bernard Herrmann with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has worked on a dozen or so live and recorded projects with music supervisor Hal Willner, including as musical arranger for the Leonard Cohen documentary "I'm Your Man," and composed for the multi-media retrospective "Timescapes: A Portrait Of New York," which now remains a permanent fixture at the Museum of the City of New York. In 2008, Burger wrote the score for the feature film "Diminished Capacity," directed by Terry Kinney, starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Alda, and Virginia Madsen, and released his long awaited soundtrack CD entitled "City Of Strangers" on the Tzadik label in 2009.
Hamster Wheel informs me that you'll be playing with Ms. Faithfull at Hardly Strictly in Golden Gate Park next weekend. I'll be there in case there's any truth to the rumor. 'City of Strangers' - you're killing me! I'm still not over 'Lost Photograph' - the best.
I love your play on accordion or on piano . I'm listening to your new installment "Alhambra Love Songs" upon Zorn's composition . It's a beautiful recording !
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