Jeff Baumeister, music professor at Bucks County Community College, will be hosting and orchestrating Chris Bursk’s Works, a Concert & Readings Celebration Event to celebrate the life and works of Dr. Christopher Bursk on April 25 at the Zlock Performing Arts Center.
The concert will include a variety of musicians including three horn players, one drum, one piano, one bass, and four vocalists. These artists are coming together to honor Dr. Bursk, a beloved professor at Bucks for nearly 50 years; a mentor and poet who unfortunately passed in 2021.
Dr. Bursk was the recipient of NEA, Guggenheim, and Pew Fellowships, and the author of thirteen books, including “Selected Poems,” “Cell Count” and “Ovid at Fifteen.” For his poetry, he earned the Another Chicago Magazine Award, the 49th Parallel Award from Bellingham Review, the New Letters Prize in Poetry and the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award.
Baumeister wrote all of this music through playing his piano and used his computer to orchestrate how the other instruments would be incorporated. He was able to glean ten songs for this concert to show off Bursk’s poems.
He said “Composing music is a funny thing; you can’t escape what’s trapped in your self-conscious mind.”
Baumeister’s music is inspired by listening to some of the best bands and artists of the early 1970’s such as Steely Dan, Sly and the Family Stone, and Little Feat. Jeff’s band name Edith Peach was a joke on the Allman Brothers album “Eat a Peach.”
Baumeister expects a big turn out to this concert as Bursk had a large following throughout the community.
This was actually Baumeister’s Sabbatical and in this concert he and his band will be orchestrating a mix of rock, jazz, funk, blues, country, and gospel to display Bursk’s work in the way he sees best fit.
The project was what led Baumeister to read Bursk’s poems. He said “The day I heard that my sabbatical proposal to write tunes based on his poems was approved, I went to the library and picked up a few of his books. Thumbing through them, I thought, ‘oh boy, what did I get myself into.’”
He also went on to say that Bursk’s poems would take odd and unexpected turns with it’s wordplay, rhythm, and content. He found that these oddities were quite enjoyable to work through and turn into songs.
Baumeister saw the opportunity to write music with interesting length and, through the challenge the line count presented, found a greater appreciation for Bursk’s work. This happened organically as he went line by line instead of looking at the whole poem.
Baumeister found this project to be a rewarding and exciting learning experience, looking into Bursk’s work and turning them into music. The experience forced him to “look into myself and become the best composer and arranger I can be.”
Baumeister studied at Bucks County Community College and got his degree in music at William Paterson University and the University of the Arts. Some of Baumeister’s music has received praise from the Philadelphia Inquirer and many different jazz websites and magazines.
His composition “Ok, Now What?” was a part of the Philadelphia real book which was publicized by the Temple University Press. He hopes to put his skill on full display at this concert.
The concert will be held at the Zlock Performing Arts Center on April 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12, including fees, and can be purchased at the link below. (All ticket proceeds benefit the Kerry Barber Scholarship Fund)
https://ci.ovationtix.com/