Artist Life – The Burnett Family

2024 ALBUM

Featured artists on this album are Roger Wilder on piano; Gerald Spaits on bass; Morgan Rogers on drums with special musical guests Terri Anderson Burnett and Freda Proctor on flutes; WM Thornton on tenor saxophone; Greg Carroll on vibraphone; Will Matthews on guitar. LINER NOTES are finished for the album we’re recording in December at BRC Audio Productions in Kansas City. We’ll add the individual track duration times during postproduction. Avalon Video Services from Lawrence is also documenting this project.

RECORDING DAY 1

ALWAYS

INFINITY

LATER

CbQ PERSONNEL

C. Burnett, alto saxophone; R. Wilder, piano; G. Spaits, bass; M. Rogers, drums

ENGINEER AND PRODUCER

William Crain, BRC Audio Productions

VIDEOGRAPHER AND DOCUMENTARIAN

Gordon Brown, Avalon Video Services

RECORDING DAY 2

FINALLY

MAYBE

CbQ PERSONNEL+:

C. Burnett, alto saxophone; R. Wilder, piano; G. Spaits, bass; M. Rogers, drums with Terri Anderson Burnett and Freda Proctor, flutes; Greg Carroll, vibraphone

ENGINEER AND PRODUCER

William Crain, BRC Audio Productions

VIDEOGRAPHER AND DOCUMENTARIAN

Gordon Brown, Avalon Video Services

YESTERYEARS

CbQ PERSONNEL+:

C. Burnett, alto saxophone; R. Wilder, piano; G. Spaits, bass; M. Rogers, drums with Willie Meyers Thornton, tenor saxophone; Will Matthews, guitar

ENGINEER AND PRODUCER

William Crain, BRC Audio Productions

VIDEOGRAPHER AND DOCUMENTARIAN

Gordon Brown, Avalon Video Services

ALBUM: “ORIGINALS” (ARC-3442) by Christopher Burnett (BMI)

The music will be released on the Artists Recording Collective + ARC Recording Label and available worldwide. I’m very excited about this work and all six pieces of music that make up “ORIGINALS.” Looking forward to sharing this music with you!

MUSIC DEMOS + SHEET MUSIC

PURCHASE THE SHEET MUSIC FROM SHEET MUSIC PLUS (HAL LEONARD)

MOCKUP AUDIO of Track 1 “FINALLY”

VIDEO CLIP of Track 2 “ALWAYS”

MOCKUP AUDIO of Track 3 “MAYBE”

VIDEO CLIP of Track 4 “INFINITY”

MOCKUP AUDIO of Track 5 “LATER”

MOCKUP AUDIO of Track 6 “YESTERYEARS”

REHEARSAL GALLERY

SHE’S MY FAMILY. TOGETHER, WE ARE HOME. (BURNETTFAMILYUS.ORG)

PHOTO GALLERY: Piano and Drums rehearsing with the Flutes

LINER NOTES PDF

email-LINER-NOTES-ORIGINALS-ARC-3442 Download

RELEASE DATE IS 03/23/2024

We have everything for our new album “ORIGINALS” (ARC-3442) set up in advance for distribution and the release date is set for our 45th anniversary, 03/23/2024

REFERENCES + MEDIA QUOTE

“Saxophonist, educator, and military band veteran Christopher L. Burnett is known for his warm and lyrical jazz sound. Following a 20-plus year military career, during which he taught and performed, Burnett embarked on fruitful university teaching, as well as a performance career. He continued to perform in his native Kansas, releasing albums like 2013’s Time Stamps, 2014’s Firebird, and 2021’s The Standards Vol. 1.”
— Matt Collar / AllMusic, TIVO (ALLMUSIC.COM)

THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING ENTITIES FOR YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Learn more at ChristopherBurnett.us

(ARTICLE)
Musings In Cb: “WE ARE CONSTANTLY WORKS IN PROGRESS”

PHOTO by Corinna Gray Photography (2023)

Christopher and Terri (Anderson) Burnett established their branch of The Burnett Family in March of 1979 in Copenhagen, Denmark. They are professional musicians, educators, and entrepreneurs based in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

As both an artist and educator with decades of successful professional experience in both aspects of practicing music as a career, it seems a healthy degree of stoicism is needed to grow into your own creative craftsmanship.

The best informed compliment someone can pay an aspiring jazz artist is to say that nobody sounds like them.

Meaning? You can hear their understanding of the lineage of the music in their playing, but simultaneously you can predominantly hear their own ideas and understanding of dealing with harmony and melodies in context as well.

I say “aspiring” because we all are perpetually and continuously aspiring artists and teachers.

Therefore, a primary goal in transcribing solos and practicing the imitation of great musicians is not to remain stuck playing “like” the master artist you’re studying at the time.

That practice isn’t genuine in jazz culture anyway. This is because our thesis is not the same as a musician learning classical repertory interpretations regardless of how thin that line is in our times. Jazz is a cultural phenomenon and expression as much as it is an art form.

When I hear any person seemingly playing beyond their genuine depth of life experience I appreciate the dues they are paying toward establishing their own voice.

My only advice would be to not get stuck copying people. It typically happens to all of us at some point during our development. I know people who stay in this zone and are fine doing it forever. But most jazz artists go on developing to realize their own thing.

Imitation is only a means to finding your own voice or leaf on a branch of the “jazz tree.” It’s like taking a master class or highly specific course or imitation of a native speaker while learning a language.

I still try to always remember the entirety of this often referenced quote:

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery … that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”- Oscar Wilde.

Be brave enough to be yourself in all things, but especially in the arts. Be brave enough to be the most excellent you that is possible. Nobody else can ever do that. That’s the spirit of jazz…

(ARTICLE)
Musings In Cb: “IMITATION IS ALWAYS A REFERENCE IN JAZZ”

PHOTO by Corinna Gray Photography (2023)