VOLUMES Performance with George Burton

About George Burton

Award-winning pianist, composer, bandleader and producer George Burton has been called "formidable" (NPR), "charismatic" (The New York Times), "revolutionary" (Nextbop), and "soulful" (Philadelphia Inquirer); his music "multidimensional" (Phila. Inq.), "sublime" (NPR). Burton has established himself as a visionary and prolific force on the piano, a standout who consistently turns heads both on record and in the live music scene, across the jazz spectrum and beyond. His dazzling virtuosity and wide-ranging approach beautifully reflect his experience—beginning with rigorous classical training, branching into the heady nightlife of the Philadelphia jazz scene, and refining his stunningly distinctive style in the New York clubs and on stages worldwide.

Born and raised in Philadelphia by musician parents, Burton grew up playing classical violin and viola while absorbing gospel and blues at home; in high school and college he turned to jazz, diving head first into the scene to get his informal training from Philly hard-bop legend Bootsie Barnes, and learning the subtleties of the genre from veteran pianists on the Philly scene, notably Sid Simmons and Shirley Scott, as well as Mulgrew Miller. After his graduation from Temple University, Burton’s eclectic talents brought him to countless recording studios and stages all over the world in classical, jazz, and beyond, with a diverse range of acts that eventually included Patti LaBelle, Meshell Ndegeocello, The Philly Pops, Terrence Howard, and many others. He had a long tenure as the pianist for Odean Pope's saxophone choir, and from there he earned a place on the world stage with some of the most significant practitioners of post-bop and the avant-garde—from Tim Warfield to James Carter to the Sun Ra Arkestra, with whom he sat in the pianist’s chair from 2012-2019.