The QUARTET, which also features original member/bassist Steve Swallow plus one of the most prominent drummers of his generation, Antonio Sanchez, released Quartet Live! May 26 on Concord Records. The album is a collection of eleven hit compositions by Chick Corea, Metheny, Carla Bley, Keith Jarrett, Swallow and Duke Ellington performed live while on tour in 2008. AllAboutJazz.com notes, Its the live album Burton never put out but should have back in the day.
In 1967, Steve Swallow joined with Burton to form the original GARY BURTON QUARTET. In the early 1970s, then 19-year old guitarist Pat Metheny joined Burtons band. It was here that one of the most celebrated careers in music began and marked the start of a 35-year musical friendship between the vibist and guitarist. Metheny has established himself as one of the most successful guitarists and bandleaders in modern jazz. Hes won more Grammy Awards than any other jazz musician in history while remaining a fearless innovator of the genre, always exploring new styles of music and new guitar technology.
Metheny came up with the idea to revisit the GARY BURTON QUARTET, the band that was his entry into the jazz world: For me, as a teenager in Missouri just starting to appreciate jazz, GARYs group was the most innovative band around. In 2005, they scheduled a gig at the Montreal Jazz Festival and the experience was so energizing that the musicians took the act on the road, touring across Europe, the U.S. and Japan over the next few years. This included the recording of Quartet Live! while at Yoshis Jazz Club in Oakland, CA. BURTON says, Without a doubt, the level of the group was at an all-time high that weekend. At Yoshis, everything just clicked.
The result is four superlative musicians, improvisers and composers, each at the top of his game, bringing modern jazz history to life, one gig at a time.
Tickets are $49.50 and can be ordered online @ www.keswicktheatre.com, via Phone-Charge (215-572-7650), in person at the box office Mon.-Sat. from 10 AM to 5 PM, and all Ticketmaster outlets.
The Keswick Theatre
June 24, 2009
Starting @ 8:00pm PM
Glenside, PA 19038
215-572-7650
For more information contact All About Jazz.
