Burnt Sugar

Burnt Sugar at Bryant Park in 2011

Burnt Sugar, also known as Burnt Sugar, the Arkestra Chamber, is an American improvisational band. The band's music combines the influences of funk, jazz, rock, reggae, soul, hip hop, heavy metal, and 20th century classical music.[1] It has been described by one critic as a "funk-rock-electronic-samba-soul-jazz-fusion-whatever ensemble".[2] One critic wrote that Burnt Sugar's music "is not the easiest thing to describe",[3] while another critic wrote that "Burnt Sugar sounds like a big cloud".[4]

Burnt Sugar was founded in 1999 by guitarist and writer Greg Tate.[1] Among the band's influences are Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, Funkadelic, Bad Brains, Band of Gypsys, Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi, and Material.[5]

The membership of Burnt Sugar is fluid. As many as 40 musicians have passed through the band and are available to play with it,[6] although the group's core consists of about 12 musicians.[2] Notable musicians who have played with Burnt Sugar include guitarists Pete Cosey, who played in Davis' band during the early 1970s,[7] and Vernon Reid, guitarist for the funk metal band Living Colour.[8] Other members of the group have included pianist Vijay Iyer, saxophonists Avram Fefer and Matana Roberts, and trumpeter Lewis "Flip" Barnes.[8]

Tate serves as Burnt Sugar's leader, using a system called "conduction" to direct the musicians as they improvise. Conduction, which was developed by Butch Morris, is a series of hand and baton signals that cue various musical themes or musicians.[9] Tate said that under conduction, "the band becomes the instrument of the conductor's will."[6] He has described his role as conductor as:

akin to Mickey Mouse in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" section of Fantasia. Diddling with forces he doesn't quite understand, snapping his fingers, opening the floodgates, occasioning a deluge. Drowning the room in the music of African ascent.[5]

In 2013, Burnt Sugar contributed several tracks to a benefit album to raise funds for Donovan Drayton's release from prison and forthcoming trial.[10]

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 Freeman, Phil (2005). Running the Voodoo Down: The Electric Music of Miles Davis. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 208. ISBN 0-87930-828-1.
  2. 1 2 Matos, Michaelangelo (September 15, 2004). "Electric Dreams". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  3. ↑ Hunter, Jr., Al (December 11, 2003). "Burnt Sugar Plays a Range of Styles" (PDF). The Philadelphia Enquirer. p. 14. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  4. ↑ Mudede, Charles (September 16, 2004). "Candy Flipped". The Stranger. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  5. 1 2 Freeman. Running the Voodoo Down. p. 209.
  6. 1 2 Infantry, Ashante (March 23, 2008). "Acid Funk Never Sounded Sweeter". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  7. ↑ Margasak, Peter (June 13, 2003). "Building Bridges With an Ax". Chicago Reader. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  8. 1 2 Milkowski, Bill (March 2009). "Greg Tate's Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber: Paint the Sky Red". JazzTimes. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  9. ↑ Varty, Alexander (September 16, 2004). "Burnt Sugar Refits '70s Jazz". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  10. ↑ http://4donovan.info/don/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/4DonovanLinerCredits.pdf

Further reading

External links

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