Biography

FROM THE LABEL:

The mark of a good record is that one can listen to it years after if was originally released and still be embraced by the powerful spirit within the work. A bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings. In sociology, the term is applied in the active sense to a person or group of people who tend to create, influence or set trends. Time Flies is a very good record and Chris Burnett's career to this point has been a series of such bellwether activity.

The ensemble concept (using Latin percussion along with drum set) and approach to his debut release (a constantly free-flowing dialogue interaction between the musicians), Time Flies, naturally captures the personal uniqueness of Chris Burnett's artistry as a composer, arranger and performer deserving wider recognition. The pure passion for music and the simple innocence of wanting to share discovered sounds with listeners, is likely what makes Time Flies sparkle - not any premeditated calculations or marketing angles. The music and inspired performances ignite this release with a "special something" that makes this music stand out and gain new fans on a daily basis.

~ Artists Recording Collective, 2008

CREDITS AND LINER NOTES:

CD Title: Time Flies (Original Master)
Year: 2000, 2008
Record Label: Artists Recording Collective (ARC - 2512)
Style: Modern Creative Jazz/Traditional Jazz Combo
Featured Artist: Chris Burnett (BMI) - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, composer, arranger, producer.
Musicians: Jeff Stewart - piano; Ben Lewis - piano, MIDI Jazz Network; Elliot Kuykendall - acoustic and electric basses; Ken Baldwin - drum set; and, Bob Habib - Latin percussion

---

Time Flies is the critically praised and commercially successful debut recording by this Kansas City saxophonist and award-winning composer. Upon the initial public release of the music on Time Flies, Damian Hagger, then a jazz genre manager with the media giant, Vivendi Universal, called Burnett's work on his debut as leader: "Technically complex, yet exotically beautiful music that contemporary jazz lovers will devour."

Hagger's 2001 review proved prophetic in the fact that at the close of the former online music distribution company MP3.com in 2003, the music on Time Flies had been downloaded over 509,000 times in just two years; and, also purchased by numerous jazz fans from over 38 countries worldwide. This fact alone established Chris Burnett as the most downloaded independent acoustic jazz artists in the entire 7-year history of MP3.com. MP3.com is significant due to the fact that it was also the very first major music digital distribution company on earth.

"Time Flies", was recorded with the last edition of Burnett's group named, "4-Jazz", which included: Jeff Stewart on piano, Elliot Kuykendall on acoustic and electric basses; and, Ken Baldwin and/or Bob Habib on drum set and percussion. Another unique aspect of "Time Flies" is that it features Mr. Burnett with Chicago-based jazz pianist, Benjamin Lewis (Founder, MIDI Jazz Network), on one of the earliest Internet musical production collaborations ever documented, published and released on a commercially distributed professional CD.

Chris Burnett officially endorses Lomax Classic mouthpieces and has been based out of his native Kansas City since 2001.

PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS AND PRESS QUOTES:

Kansas City Jazz Ambassador Magazine says:
"Burnett is a fine alto player..."

Vivendi Universal says: "... exotically beautiful music that contemporary jazz lovers will devour!"

Cadence Magazine says: "... His saxophones wail with emotion and his fingers give each presentation a thorough going-over, however, that allows Burnett to express accurately and fully the musical dreams that he’s harbored for years."

All About Jazz says: "Chris Burnett gives the modern soprano sax some jazz authority..."

CHRIS BURNETT

A native of the Kansas City Area, award-winning composer and saxophone artist, Chris Burnett began his prolific professional start at the age of 18 years old while performing, touring and recording with Army bands from 1974-1996. His 22-year career with noteworthy professional military music organizations provided vast legitimate educational opportunities that covered several specific areas of musical study; while simultaneously providing him the essential incomparable real world performing and touring experiences necessary for an artist to mature and develop a unique musical voice.

An active BMI Writer Affiliate, his ensemble performances and studio recordings primarily feature his original compositions and his interpretive arrangements of select works by other composers. Mr. Burnett is the 1995 5-Star Award of Merit Winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs for his original composition and arrangement for big band titled, Daedalus.

A modern thinker and early explorer of the digital music landscape, Burnett garnered more than a half million music downloads and sold CDs to fans in 38 countries via MP3.com (1999-2003) before most musicians had figured out that there were other ways than major record label contracts and brick-and-mortar retail stores to reach listeners. Since his return to Kansas City in 2001, Burnett has had the opportunity to perform along side or work with many eminent musicians and is featured each month at The Drum Room in Kansas City and has opened for jazz trumpet legend, Maynard Ferguson. With a new CD projects scheduled to be recorded and released, he already has a successful commercial album (Time Flies) distributed worldwide on the Artists Recording Collective.

Artist outreach and community service as a professional musician have been important elements from the start of Mr. Burnett's professional music career. This attitude is based upon his own experiences of having the benefit of learning from great music educators, as well as, having the benefit of numerous professional performing artists as mentors throughout the various stages of his active career. In addition to his professional performance activities, Mr. Burnett remains involved in the development of student musicians as an IAJE artist/clinician (active member since 1985); through his own private teaching practice; and the conduct of affordable music clinics at local schools in the Kansas City area.

Mr. Burnett served as a staff writer/arranger for Fandeen Publishing Company, Inc. and as a participating Board Member of Alaadeen Enterprises, Inc. where he volunteered his time and services over a 5-year period from 2002-2007, both are corporations whose offices are based in Kansas City USA. Mr. Burnett was invited to become a part of the artsONE Artists Council. The Artists Council of artsONE is comprised of well known and respected local Kansas City Jazz and Blues artists. In December 2007, Chris Burnett, along with New York-based artists, Erica Lindsay and Sumi Tonooka, co-founded Artists Recording Collective - an American label brand that serves as a dynamic and multi-dimensional platform to present the works and services of a select roster of artists. Subsequently, Artists Recording Collective will formally launch its first commercial CD recording release in early 2008. Most recently, he was personally invited by Mr. Leon A. Brady to become involved with Kansas City Youth Jazz, Inc.

Today, Mr. Burnett operates BurnettMusic.com (his official artist website domain name and sole proprietorship business entity), and now primarily focuses his efforts on continued success in the areas of performing, writing, producing and teaching music while also contributing to other vital areas of the industry. Also see: www.BurnettMusic.com

BIO CREDITS: Toni Gates-Grantham
###