Bass
Acclaimed by critics for his technical mastery, subtle, elegant artistry and technical virtuosity, bassist Jon Burr has toured and recorded with many great jazz masters, including Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Horace Silver, Hank Jones, Art Farmer, Stephane Grappelli (from 1986-1997), Sir Roland Hanna, Dorothy Donegan, and Buddy Rich. From 1980 – 1985 he toured with Tony Bennett; he has also worked with Lainie Kazan, Rita Moreno, Barbara Cook, Christine Andreas, and Eartha Kitt, among others. Jon was a founding member of violinist Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing Trio, with guitarist Frank Vignola, and a member of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet. Here they are:
Active as a producer, arranger, composer, and author, Jon owns and operates the website arrangerforhire.com , writing for clients around the world, including the MCoE Concert Band (Ft. Benning, GA), YouTube artist Kim Andersson (5 million views), Symphonia Phonotone, Marian McPartland, The Mel Lewis Big Band, and many others.
Jon’s own projects have included The Jon Burr Quartet “In My Own Words,” the Jon Burr Trio “3 for All,“ The Jon Burr Band “Just Can’t Wait,” “Giant Cicada,” The Jon Burr Quintet “Very Good Year,” and The Jon Burr Big Band.
He has also performed at Count Basie’s 80th Birthday Celebration, Stephane Grappelli’s 80th Birthday Celebration , Eartha Kitt’s 80th Birthday Celebration (all at Carnegie Hall), appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, at the Cafe Carlyle with Eartha Kitt and Rita Moreno, as well as at the first two Django Reinhart Festivals at New York’s Birdland, appearing on the Atlantic Records release of that event, guested with Les Paul at Iridium, and appeared as a featured guest with the New York Pops Orchestra (also at Carnegie Hall), performed onstage with Barbara Cook in her solo show Mostly Sondheim at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Feinsteins’ at the Regency, the Cafe Carlyle, and other venues around the US. Performances with Hot Swing have included California’s Strawberry Festival, appearances at Lincoln Center Jazz in NYC, and a record release tour for In Full Swing, (Sony Odyssey) with guests Wynton Marsalis and Jane Monheit.
The Grappelli Trio, with Jon Burr
Jon also has Broadway performance credits that include the bass chair for the revival Me and My Girl, the short-lived sequel The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, and performances including Grand Hotel, Gypsy, Blood Brothers, Sideshow, Song & Dance, Catskills on Broadway, and Jerome Robbins Broadway. Jon has also served as house bassist for the 92nd St Y‘s Lyrics and Lyricists series, and performed for the Drama Desk and the MAC Awards shows.
His works as an author include The Untold Secret to Melodic Bass, The Improvising Chef – Making Healthy Food Tasty, and Letting Go – Practical Meditation for Everyday People, and posts for NoTreble.com, the Finale Blog, Scoring Notes, and Of Note blogs.
His musical play Pray Away Getaway is a Finalist in the 2024 International Theater Competition.
He’s also a web designer/developer/strategist, with a portfolio of development projects and technical writing available on his website jbQ,net.
From Huntington, New York, he as a student of the late pioneering jazz educator Clem DeRosa, attended the Berklee School of Music and graduated from the University of Illinois, having served as a teaching assistant teaching improvisation, jazz bass, and leading the 4th Band.