Kevin Fitzgerald Burke is a veteran New York City vocalist, composer, guitarist, and producer. At a very young age he started singing with the jazz vocal group, “Jon Hendricks & Co.” and, some years later, in Jon Hendricks’ “LH&R Redux,” ultimately singing and recording with Jon’s groups for 20+ years during two different periods (1986-1998 and 2007-2016).
He has performed and/or recorded with, among others: Jon Hendricks, Van Morrison, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Mavis Staples, Diane Reeves, Kurt Elling, Chaka Khan, George Benson, Harry Connick, Manhattan Transfer, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Count Basie Orchestra, Marc Cohn, Joe Williams, Carmen McRae, and Stanley Turrentine.
He has performed nationally and internationally at such venues as: Montreux Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Roma Jazz Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, Jazz@LincolnCenter, Madison Sq. Garden Theatre, Beacon Theatre, Tudo E’ Jazz-Brazil, as well as acclaimed clubs such as the Blue Note (all venues), Dizzy’s Coca Cola Club (NYC), Duc Des Lombards (Paris), and Ronnie Scott’s (London).
After releasing his acclaimed solo album, “Diamonds in the Rain” in 2013, he went on to work with Hendricks on his many live performances and recording projects into 2017 — when Kevin produced Jon’s last recording, “Lament.”
Kevin was also part of the triumphant Quincy-Jones-produced “Miles Ahead” project (all lyrics by Jon Hendricks) as a featured vocalist singing Miles’ solos with Pete Churchill’s 24-voice London Vocal Project — with the World Premier at St. Peter’s in NYC in February 2017 and the European Premier in May 2017 at Kings Cross Theatre in London.
Kevin has received much praise from the press, most notably from Stephen Holden of the New York Times wherein Holden named him a “virtuoso scat improviser.”
Though Kevin started his singing career long before his venture into academia, he did attend the Mannes School of Music and the Jazz Program of The New School University in NYC in the ‘90s. After graduation, while continuing his professional singing career, he started teaching at the New School University for some 10 years. He eventually received his Master of Arts from NYU in Vocal Performance and Composition in 2002.
In 2020 and 2021 Kevin composed and performed all the music for the heralded podcast drama, “ASHES” Season 1 and “ASHES” Season 2. In 2022 he has been releasing new solo material, as well as collaborating with the fabulous duo from Istanbul, Funda & Yavuz Akyazıcı. This
overseas collaboration recently resulted in the hot new single, “A Kiss,” published on June 10, 2022 and available on Spotify and other formats. An EP of this newly-formed trio is scheduled soon for release and a Fall/Winter 2022 tour will soon follow. Stay tuned!