Jazz Articles about Gary Burton

Gary Burton: Forging Ahead

by R.J. DeLuke
May 25, 2009

"I got started in Nashville and knew a lot of the country musicians. I got my first record contract from Chet Atkins who saw me playing in a local club in Nashville and who decided to talk to RCA and get them to offer me a long-term contract," says this renowned musician born in a small Indiana town, less than 300 miles from the country music capital of the world. The musician speaking isn't Crystal Gayle, the popular ...

Gary Burton: Next Generation

by Andrew Velez
May 23, 2006

Vibes virtuoso, composer, educator and five-time Grammy winner Gary Burton has played a pivotal role in furthering the careers of newcomers through the years. Among many others, John Scofield, Carla Bley and Pat Metheny come quickly to mind. “I take my cue from Stan Getz, who often hired younger players to stay sharp," Burton has remarked; In his own early 20s, he performed with Getz. Burton's latest quintet showcases sixteen-year-old guitarist Julian Lage, whom he first met during the 1998 ...

Gary Burton: Next Generation

by Robert R. Calder
July 10, 2005

Cheap press release stuff first: guitarist Julian Lage (rhymes with French plage) is some years short of twenty-one; and barring Burton, the other group members look even younger. But seriously, he's a stunning musician: hear his empathic interaction with Burton toward the end of Neselovskyi's “Prelude for Vibes."There's a plethora of such details throughout, like the silent space at the end of the guitar solo and the ensemble winding down to very end of “My Romance," to say ...

Gary Burton: Next Generation

by John Kelman
May 3, 2005

Mentoring is a significant part of the jazz tradition--established artists have long provided a musical context where young musicians can evolve and assimilate the experience and knowledge of their mentors. Miles Davis did it throughout his career, bringing a number of significant musicians to the fore, including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and John McLaughlin.In a career spanning over forty years, vibraphonist Gary Burton has also proved himself an important mentor. And while he's helped establish artists like pianist ...

Gary Burton: Generations

by John Kelman
April 10, 2004

With virtually flawless execution and a remarkable sense of adventure, Gary Burton has changed the face of the vibraphone. Introduced in the '60s to a larger audience thanks to guitarist Hank Garland, he has returned the favour by bringing attention to a number of fine young guitarists, including Larry Coryell, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pat Metheny. On his latest release, Generations , he introduces Julian Lage, who was a precocious seventeen at the time of the recording. Lage is a fine ...

Gary Burton/Makoto Ozone: Virtuosi

by Craig Jolley
March 1, 2002

Vibraphonist Gary Burton does not come from a conservatory background but with his wide range of musical interests it is not surprising he would finally choose to put his stamp on some compositions from the European classical tradition. Actually, on one of his first records he arranged and composed twelve “semi-classical” pieces for the George Shearing Quintet and woodwinds ( Out of the Woods, Capitol) that included some adaptations of Bach and Mozart. It’s a project he probably doesn’t list ...

Gary Burton and Stephane Grappelli: Paris Encounter

by C. Michael Bailey
September 1, 2001

The old guard meets the new. Here is the phenomenon Gary Burton, before he became an institution.

In 1969, Gary Burton was blazing jazz trails that could not exactly be described as traditional. He teams up with Le Hot Club of France Stephane Grappelli, conservative stalwart in the European tradition, for a little stroll around the block. The year 1935 was a long time ago. Here we have an electric bass. Not only that, Steve Swallow is behind it. Round ...