Brian Burgess

BRIAN BURGESS is, first & foremost, a song-writer, but he can deliver anything from unplugged acoustic, fire-side ambience to full-blown electric improvisational jazz-rock grooves. Solo, duo, trio, four-piece, five-piece, and up... he has the network and reputation to summon a wide range of talented musicians.

Solo, he can perform raw with just an acoustic guitar and his soothing voice or he can use the technology of a loop station to create a multi-layered live one-man-band type jam music experience while utilizing a variety of instruments and singing harmonies with himself.

With a band, he's in the moment... and in the pocket (usually, on bass) and welcomes talented sit-ins and improvisational jams. As a result, he has had the privilege of working with a host of well-known musicians. Some of those include Jeff Coffen, of BELA FLECK and the FLECKTONES, Kofi Burbridge of DEREK TRUCKS BAND (respectively, tenor sax and flute sit-ins with CURIOUS CIRCUS at "Down on the Farm Festival 2006"), Pete Shands of The NEW MASTERSOUNDS, Roosevelt of THE LEE BOYS, Zach Deputy of ZACH DEPUTY; and San Francisco's NEW MONSOON (BB played bass and sang for a short stint which included the first JamCruise) with sit-ins MICHAEL FRANTI and MARK HARAN. JOHN MEDESKI, himself, introduced Burgess to the world of improv (in grade-school/high-school, Medeski led the jazz-band and initiated BB to his first-ever improv jazz session). Ever since, nearly all music endeavors have focused on the composition and delivery of original tunes and an experimental approach. To date (and it keeps on growing), Brian's collection of songs fills over 150 pages of the soon-to-be-released lyric/poetry book called "SPILLING SONGS".

Brian Burgess' musical quest began, in Kindergarten, with piano lessons. In the fourth grade, he picked up the alto saxophone and progressed through high-school to 'First Chair' in jazz. As a sophomore in high-school, he began writing songs for a four-piece rock band in which he sang and played sax. As a senior, he began playing bass while singing (and writing) for the band. In college, experimental improv-groove (and an avid interest in the Grateful Dead) took him further into the realms of bass-guitar (with a six-string bass guitar) and song-writing for Tallahassee's legendary JOHARI WINDOW. By the end of college, he'd learned to play acoustic guitar and started performing acoustic guitar and acoustic bass-guitar with acoustic groups such as The FOGGY BOG JAZZGRASS BAND and the jazzy folk duo BURGESS 'n' BERRY. "Johari Window" side projects included the acoustic SEVEN HILLS' GYPSIES and acoustic duo GORDIAN KNOT.

Just a few years ago, Burgess spread his wings and migrated to Orlando where he now performs with four-piece funkUs, trio Daz Voodoo, 5-piece Acoustic Swamp Project and maintains ties to Tallahassee through rare appearances with his 8-piece gospel-groove band Curious Circus, Grateful Dead tribute band Dead Keys, and (as saxophonist) with Tallahassee reggae group Trial By Stone.

He also writes and performs music, on a regular basis, for children and children with disabilities... and has nearly completed the pilot television episode for his entertaining and educational character, PAPA KALAPA.