Ronnie Burrage (b. October 19, 1959, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American jazz drummer. His style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul.
Burrage sang in the St. Louis Cathedral boys' choir from age seven to eleven and performed with Duke Ellington at the age of nine. Ronnie also played drums, percussion vibraphone and sang in several funk, R & B and jazz groups including The Soul Flamingos, Fontella Bass, Oliver Sain, Third Circuit & Spirit, Rainbow Glass, and Expression Jazz Quintet. He played in the St. Louis Metropolitan Jazz Quintet from 1975 to 1977 and was considered a child prodigy to be playing with standing members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Jazz Quintet such as John Mixon who played bass with Grant Green and Miles Davis, James "Iron Head" Matthews on piano, Freddie Washington, Willie Akins on saxophone and Ben Jones on trumpet.
From age 15 to 17, Burrage was also involved in a collective band called No Commercial Potential with Mark Friedrick on keyboards, Darryl Mixon on bass (son of John Mixon), and Richie Daniels on guitar that opened many fusion concerts for the likes of George Duke, Gino Vannelli and others. He played in many jazz clubs, concerts and venues including St. Louis' "Afro Day in the Park," an annual event. Also while still a teenager, Burrage and his own band, Alexis, managed by his mother, Cosandra Burrage, worked with correctional institutions throughout St. Louis and Illinois in an outreach program to bring about positive change.
At 17, Burrage moved to New York City and played with Sonny Fortune, Lester Bowie, Defunkt, Teruo Nakamura, Sir Roland Hanna, Major Holley, [Arthur Blythe]], Jackie McLean, Andrew Hill, and McCoy Tyner. He played with Woody Shaw and then cofounded Third Kind of Blue with John Purcell and Anthony Cox. Later work includes recordings with Defunkt, Barbara Dennerlein, Michal Urbaniak, Ray Anderson, Abdullah Ibrahim, Joanne Brackeen, Jack Walrath, Sonny Fortune, Courtney Pine, Joe Zawinul, Archie Shepp, the World Saxophone Quartet and Gary Thomas. Burrage played for several years with Wayne Shorter, one of the greatest jazz composers of the late 20th century.
"The Burrage Ensemble" was Ronnie's first band playing primarily in New York City from 1980-1983 as well as jazz festivals in Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston and Washington, DC. Members were Kenny Kirkland on piano and keyboards, [[Marcus Miller] on bass, Joe Ford on saxes and flute. Other members of the ensemble included Rasul Siddik on trumpet, Branford Marsalis on sax, Avery Sharpe on basses, Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, and Wallace Roney on trumpet.
In 1978, on a full music scholarship, Burrage attended North Texas State University. At Jazz Mobile N.Y.C. from 1994-2002, he was Instructor Drum and Percussion while being Instructor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1994-1996. He was Substitute Instructor at The New School in New York, New York from 1992-2000. Currently, Burrage is Producer and Artistic Director at Bluenoise Studio, Frederick, Maryland as well as Professor of Practice at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania teaching Hip-Hop Music and Culture and A Closer World in the Art, African and African-American Studies and Integrative Arts Departments.
2010: Azar Lawrence & Benito Gonzalez with Ronnie Burrage, U.S.A.
Third Kind of Blue, U.S.A.
Band Burrage, East Coast, U.S.A.
"Q.K.R.", East Coast, U.S.A.
2009: Bluenoise, Central Pennsylvania Arts Festival
Ronnie Burrage Group, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Maryland, State College and West Oak Lane Festival, Philadelphia, PA
2008: Archie Shepp, San Francisco Jazz Festival
Ronnie Burrage Group, Russia, Siberia
Third Kind of Blue with Essiet Okun Essiet & Alain Bradette, Baltimore, Washington, DC, State College, New York
2007: Ronnie Burrage Group, Orlando, FL, St. Louis, MO, Russia, Siberia
Arkadi Orwrutski, Frank Lucy & Joe Ford, Russia, Ukraine
Savion Glover, St. Thomas, London
Band Burrage, West Oak Lane Jazz Festival, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis, Orlando
Frank Morgan, U.S.A.
Archie Shepp, New York, NY
2006: "Artist in Residence," Pennsylvania State University, State College
Sam Rivers, U.S.A., Europe
Witzigmann Palozzo, Munich
Chris Byrne, Arts Festival, State College
Band Burrage with Benito Gonzales, Mike Boone, Sid Simmons, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis
2005: Band Burrage with Jeff Rupert, Bobby Keoble & Doug Matthews, Orlando, FL
Ronnie Burrage Trio with Benito Gonzales & James King, Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland
Ronnie Burrage & Othello Montelaux Tribute to Jaco Pastorius, Hollywood Jazz Festival, Hollywood, FL
Ronnie Burrage Trio with Sid Simmons & James King, An Die Muzik Hall, Baltimore
Ronnie Burrage & Magnets Jazz Ensemble Class/Concert, Reed College, Portland, Oregon
Ronnie Burrage Trio, Inaugural Celebration, Assemblyman Roger Green, Brooklyn, NY
Root Down, Blue's Alley, Washington, DC
Carl Grubbs, East Coast Tour, U.S.A.
2004: Jackie & Rene McClean with James Moody & Gary Bartz/African Sax Summit, North Sea Jazz Festival, Cape Town, South Africa
Frank Morgan, U.S.A.
Magnets, U.S.A.
2001-2003: Wallace Roney, Europe, Japan, U.S.A.
Frank Morgan, U.S.A.
Ronnie Burrage, Monterey, Mexico, U.S.A.
2000: Archie Shepp, Europe
Stafford James Project, Europe
Gary Bartz, New York
1999: Michal Urbaniak, Poland
Bobby Watson's Horizon, Italy, New York City
Band Burrage, St. Louis, Kentucky
Coltrane Legacy Big Band with Reggie Workman, Magic Triangle Jazz Series, Amherst, MA, PECO Jazz Fest, Philadelphia, Lincoln Center, New York City
John Butler with Essiet Essiet & Dale Barlow, Peru
Sonny Simmons, Pennsylvania State University, Knitting Factory, New York City
1998: Band Burrage, Jazz Arts Fest/Blue's Alley, Sweet Basil's JVC Arts Fest/Knitting Factory, The Iron Horse Cafe, North Hampton, Massachusetts
The World Saxophone Quartet/"World Cup Parade"/Banlieues Bleus Fest, Paris/Festival Ancona, Italy
The Firm with Reggie Workman, Ernie Watts, Mark Whitfield, Ronnie Burrage, The Litchfield Jazz Festival
Reggie Workman's Coltrane Legacy, Jazz Arts Festival, Washington, DC
Sonny Fortune, The Flint Jazz Festival, The Kentucky Jazz Arts Festival
1997: The Firm with Reggie Workman, Ernie Watts, Mark Whitfield, Ronnie Burrage, New York
Carlos Ward, England, Europe
Buster Williams, Stafford James, Europe
Ed Schuller, Europe
1996: Ronnie Burrage, Gary Thomas, Dave Kikoski, Andrzej Cudzich, Poland
Carlos Ward, Europe
1995: Courtney Pine, Europe, England
Stafford James and Ronnie Burrage, Europe
David Murray, midwest USA
1994: Band Burrage, Japan
Gary Thomas, Europe
Jae Zawinul, Europe
1993: Ronnie Burrage and Eddie Henderson, Poland, Europe
Bob Berg, East Coast, USA
1992: Band Burrage, Europe
Sonny Fortune, Japan
Blue Brass Connection, Europe
Sir Roland Hanna Trio, Portugal
Eddie Gomez and Ronnie Burrage, Moscow
1991: Courtney Pine, USA and Canada
Monty Waters, Europe
JoAnn Brakeen, USA
1990: Ronnie Burrage Trio, Japan
Sonny Fortune, Japan
JoAnn Brakeen, Turkey
Jack Walrath, England, Europe
Richard Davis and Clifford Jordan, Japan
Blue Brass Connection, Europe
Wayne Shorter, USA, Canada, Europe
1989: Robin Eubanks, USA
1988: Abdullah Ibrahim, Europe
Michael Brecker, Japan, USA
Freddie Hubbard, USA
1987: Third Kind of Blue, USA, Europe
Ray Anderson, Europe
Jackie McClean, Europe
Jack Walrath, Puerto Rico
1986: Third Kind of Blue, Europe, England, Yugoslavia
Michael Urbaniak, Poland
Jackie McClean, Europe
1985: Third Kind of Blue, Europe
Jackie McClean, Europe
Cedar Walton, Europe
Pepper Adams, Europe
Woody Shaw and Joe Farrell, Europe
1984: Jaco Pastorius, USA
Woody Shaw, India, Africa, Middle East
1983: Dave Valentine and Jerry Gonzales, Jorge Dalto, Puerto Rico
Sonny Rollins and Pat Metheny, USA, Canada
Chico Freeman, Japan, Europe, Middle East, India, Pakistan
1980-1983: McCoy Tyner, USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, Brazil