Group 5, one of George Burton’s two groups playing on the New York jazz scene, is the manifestation of George’s relentlessly creative ear for progressive/modern original music that hinges on jazz influenced by rock.Group 5 features saxophonist Chris Hemingway, guitarist Andy Bianco, and drummer Wayne Smith Jr. These master vibe-creators don’t merely walk the genre-crossing edge, but rather run it with rock-infused chords heavy with swing, groove, and mood. Their exchange of surprising harmonies, angular rhythms, pointed chords, use of space, and rhythmic elasticity bring deliverance from the traditional rules of engagement, breaking barriers between audience and musician, resulting in an organic harmonic symbiosis.

George Burton represents what many of Jazz’s most exciting figures hoped the genre would become: precarious, dynamic, revolutionary…unable to be contained.” — Daniel Palmer, Nextbop