When he was 9 years old, drummer, composer, educator and band leader Ronnie Burrage met Duke Ellington. That shaped and inspired Burrage, who comes from a musical family. He’s recorded and performed with a wide range of jazz greats like Wayne Shorter, Archie Shepp and Gunther Schuller.
As a drummer, Burrage can go from volcanic to minimalist, tapping out asymmetrical timeline patterns to sketch out the rhythmic contours of a piece. A true multi-instrumentalist, Burrage can play the keyboard with one hand while he plays the drum kit with his other hand and his two feet.
The dexterity and limb independence aren’t just a party trick; they show Burrage’s ability to think in both rhythmic and harmonic terms at the same time, and to bring both to bear on his playing.
Ronnie Burrage’s trio, the Holographic Principle, plays the Baby Grand Jazz series at Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford, Sunday Jan. 28, 3 p.m. The concert is free.
