BURNT SUGAR, THE ARKESTRA CHAMBER is the creation of writer/guitarist/producer GregTate.

Formed in 1999, Burnt Sugar was conceived as a contemporary version of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew band, exploring the connective tissue binding jazz, rock, funk, twentieth century composition, and African music in a lyrical, seductive, exploratory, improvisational manner.

Employing Conduction, an interpretative system for improvisers developed by Lawrence“ Butch” Morris, Tate guides the band through improvisations on each of its song forms. As a result, each performance is an original mutation in tune with the collective personality of the audience as well as the individual character and talents of the players.

Each of the players are masters of their instruments, many of whom are name artists on the contemporary scene—notably the Egyptian turntablist DJ Mutamassik; trumpeter Lewis ‘Flip’ Barnes of William Parker’s lauded O’Neal’s Porch Group; bassist Jared Nickerson who has toured and recorded with The The, Freedy Johnston and Gary Lucas; and pianist Vijay Iyer, recently named “one of today’s most important pianists” by The New Yorker.

In addition to founding and conducting Burnt Sugar, Greg Tate is writer whos work has appeared in publications including The Village Voice, The NewYork Times, Rolling Stone, and Vibe and is the author of the books; Flyboy In The Buttermilk (Simon and Shuster), Everything But The Burden: What White People Are Taking From Black Culture (Broadway/Random House) and Midnight Lightning: Jimi Hendrix and the Black Experience (Acapella)

Burnt Sugar performs regularly at the usual hotbed venues in New York, including; Joe’s Pub, Tonic, Symphony Space, The Blue Note, Makor, The Knitting Factory, Galapagos, CBGBs, BAM Café, Aaron Davis Hall, Lotus and The Cutting Room.

Their travels have taken them to venues and festivals such as The Royal Festival Hall in London, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, The Concert of Colors in Detroit, The Empty Bottle In Chicago, The University of Pennsylvania, Central Park Summerstage in NYC and Banlieues Bleues in Paris.

Performance highlights have included:

• A performance as the opening act for Central Park Summerstage's 20th anniversary season in June of 2005.
• The Brighton Music Festival in 2005.
• The Banlieues Bleues Festival in 2004.
• Jazz Al Dia in San Sebastian, Spain in 2004.
• Musiques de Nuit in Bordeaux, France in 2004.
• The Richmond Museum of Fine Arts prestigious Fast Forward series.
• An appearance on The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in 2002, followed by a return engagement during the center’s Prelude Festival in 2003.
• The Queens International Arts Festival at The Queens Museum in New York.
• The Ether Festival at The Royal Festival Hall, London, UK.
• “The Rites” Presented at Central Park Summerstage.
  Drawing upon Stravinsky’s Le Sacre Du Printemps for source material, the piece was a collaborative project with choreographer Gabri Christa’s company, Danzasia and guest conductor, Butch Morris.
  Together with Butch Morris and guest artists Melvin Gibbs and Pete Cosey (legendary guitarist with Miles Davis’ Agharta/ Pangea/Dark Magus band) the band recorded an orchestral studio version of The Rites released on their specialty label, Avantgroid in May of 2003.

  
  Burnt Sugar’s current discography includes:

• If You Can't Dazzle Them With Your Brilliance, Then Dazzle Them with Your Blisluth (TruGROID 2005)
• Not April in Paris: Live at Banlieues Bleues (TruGROID 2004)
• Black Sex Yall, Liberation and Random Violets (TruGROID 2003)
• The Rites; Conductions Inspired By Stravinsky’s Le Sacre Du Printemps (AvantGROID 2003)
• That Depends on What You Know -three CD set (TruGROID, 2001)
  • The Sirens Return / Keep It Real ‘Till It Flatlines
  • The Crepescularium
  • Fubractive Since Antiquity Suite
• Blood On The Leaf (TruGROID 2000)

Burnt Sugar has been the recipient of support through The DNA Project, a program of Arts International, (made possible through the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,) and The Fund, also a program of Arts International