Album Notes

Review of Fretless Jazz Standards: "Ben Burdick, says that recording live in the studio is his favorite method. These 10 tunes, knocked off in a session by Burdick, bassist Jeff Rew and drummer Scott Reusser, illustrate how it can be an efficient, effective endeavor. Burdick's lyrical playing is relaxed yet upbeat during familiar melodies such as "Take Five" and "All the Things You Are." Guitar dominates, but he allows space for Rew and Reusser during these jazz standards, which mostly were first takes. Burdick's communicative delivery makes for a balanced listening experience rather than a strictly guitar-oriented jazz CD. Rew, in particular, thrives on the interplay. ...If you close your eyes while you listen, it's easy to imagine Burdick and company grooving in their own world at a local nightspot. And, for once, nobody in the crowd is talking." -Michael Deeds from The Idaho Statesman, 5/18/2007 Ben graduated from Musician's Institute, GIT, in 1986 and has been composing, performing, and teaching guitar and music theory for over 20 years. Career highlights include: Recording with Rosalie Sorrels for the Bob Dylan tribute CD A Nod to Bob (Red House Records, 2001); Engineering and coproducing Rebecca Scott's latest CD, The Game (Little House Recordings, 2002) and his own releases, Roots & Branches (2002), An Eclectic Acoustic/Electric Christmas (2002) and Yesteryears (2003). Ben has also produced his own CD/DVD instructional video, Messin' with Modes: Creative Improvisation using the Major Scale, A How-To Guide for all Melodic Instruments.