![](/uploads/1/2/7/2/127247806/192319145.jpg)
Burton in 2008 | |
Background information | |
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Born | January 23, 1943 (age 77) Anderson, Indiana, U.S. |
Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Vibraphone |
Years active | 1960–2017 |
Labels | RCA, Atlantic, ECM, Concord, Mack Avenue |
Associated acts | Steve Swallow, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes |
Website | www.garyburton.com |
Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be heralded as an innovator, and his sound and technique are widely imitated.[1] He is also known for pioneering fusion jazz and popularizing the duet format in jazz, as well as being a major figure in music education from his 30 years at the Berklee College of Music.
- 3Discography
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Biography[edit]
Burton was born in Anderson, Indiana in 1943. Beginning music at six years old, he mostly taught himself to play marimba and vibraphone.[2] He began studying piano at age sixteen while finishing high school at Princeton Community High School in Princeton, Indiana (1956–60). He has cited jazz pianist Bill Evans as the inspiration for his approach to the vibraphone.
Burton attended Berklee College of Music in Boston[2] in 1960–61 and the Stan Kenton Clinic at Indiana University in 1960. He studied with Herb Pomeroy and soon befriended composer and arranger Michael Gibbs. After establishing his career during the 1960s, he returned to join the staff of Berklee from 1971–2004, serving first as professor, then dean, and executive vice president during his last decade at the college. In 1989, Burton received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee.[3]
Early in his career, at the behest of noted Nashville saxophonist Boots Randolph,[2] Burton moved to Nashville and recorded with several notable Nashville musicians, including guitarist Hank Garland, pianist Floyd Cramer and guitarist Chet Atkins.
After touring the U.S. and Japan with pianist George Shearing,[4] Burton played with saxophonist Stan Getz from 1964 to 1966. It was during this time that he appeared with the band in the movie Get Yourself a College Girl, playing 'Girl from Ipanema' with Astrud Gilberto. In 1967 he formed the Gary Burton Quartet with guitarist Larry Coryell, drummer Roy Haynes, and bassist Steve Swallow. Predating the jazz-rock fusion[4] craze of the 1970s, the group's first album, Duster, combined jazz, country, and rock. However, some of Burton's previous albums (notably Tennessee Firebird and Time Machine, both from 1966) had already shown his inclination toward such experimentation. After Coryell left the quartet in the late 1960s, Burton hired a number of well-regarded guitarists: Jerry Hahn, David Pritchard, Mick Goodrick, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Julian Lage.
Burton was named Down Beat magazine's Jazzman of the Year in 1968 (the youngest to receive that title) and won his first Grammy Award in 1972. The following year Burton began a forty-year collaboration with pianist Chick Corea,[5] recognized for popularizing the format of jazz duet performance. Their eight albums won Grammy Awards in 1979, 1981, 1997, 1999, 2009, and 2013.
Burton has played with a wide variety of jazz musicians, including Gato Barbieri, Carla Bley, Chick Corea, Peter Erskine, Stan Getz, Hank Garland, Stephane Grappelli, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, B. B. King, Steve Lacy, Pat Metheny, Makoto Ozone, Tiger Okoshi, Astor Piazzolla, Tommy Smith, Ralph Towner, and Eberhard Weber.
Burton is known for his variation of traditional four-mallet grip which has come to be known as 'Burton Grip,' and is very popular among jazz vibraphonists as well as some concert marimbists, including Pius Cheung and Evelyn Glennie.
From 2004 to 2008 Burton hosted a weekly jazz radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio. In 2011, he released his first album for Mack Avenue Records, entitled Common Ground featuring the New Gary Burton Quartet (with Julian Lage, Scott Colley, and Antonio Sanchez). In 2013, the group released 'Guided Tour,' their 2nd recording for Mack Avenue Records. Burton's autobiography, Learning to Listen, was published by Berklee Press in August 2013, and was voted 'Jazz Book of the Year' by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Burton retired from performing in March 2017 following a farewell tour with pianist and longtime collaborator Makoto Ozone.[6][7]
Personal life[edit]
Following an early marriage in his twenties, Burton married for a second time, from 1975–84, to Catherine Goldwyn, granddaughter of film producer Samuel Goldwyn (1879–1974). They have two children, Stephanie and Sam, and two grandchildren.
By the 1980s, Burton was in a gay relationship and he came out publicly in a 1994 radio interview with Terry Gross, making him one of rather few openly gay jazz musicians of prominence. Burton's partner is Dustin Le and they live in South Florida. [8]
Discography[edit]
As leader[edit]
- New Vibe Man in Town (RCA, 1961)
- Who Is Gary Burton? (RCA, 1962)
- 3 in Jazz (RCA, 1963)
- Something's Coming! (RCA, 1963)
- The Groovy Sound of Music (RCA, 1964)
- Tennessee Firebird (RCA, 1966)
- The Time Machine (RCA, 1966)
- Duster (RCA, 1967)
- Lofty Fake Anagram (RCA, 1967)
- A Genuine Tong Funeral (RCA, 1967)
- Gary Burton Quartet in Concert (RCA, 1968)
- Country Roads & Other Places (RCA, 1969)
- Throb (Atlantic, 1969)
- Good Vibes (Atlantic, 1969)
- Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett (Atlantic, 1971)
- Live in Tokyo (Atlantic, 1971)
- Alone at Last (Atlantic, 1971)
- Crystal Silence (ECM, 1972) with Chick Corea
- Paris Encounter (Atlantic, 1972) with Stéphane Grappelli
- Seven Songs for Quartet and Chamber Orchestra (ECM, 1973)
- The New Quartet (ECM, 1973)
- In The Public Interest (Polydor, 1973 [1974]) with Mike Gibbs
- Ring (ECM, 1974) with Eberhard Weber
- Matchbook (ECM, 1975) with Ralph Towner
- Dreams So Real (ECM, 1975)
- Hotel Hello (ECM, 1975) with Steve Swallow
- Passengers (ECM, 1977) with Eberhard Weber
- Times Square (ECM, 1978)
- Duet (ECM, 1979) with Chick Corea
- In Concert, Zürich, October 28, 1979 (ECM, 1980) with Chick Corea
- Easy as Pie (ECM, 1980)
- Live in Cannes (Jazz World, 1981 [1996])
- Picture This (ECM, 1982)
- Lyric Suite for Sextet (ECM, 1982) with Chick Corea
- Real Life Hits (ECM, 1984)
- Gary Burton And The Berklee Allstars(JVC, 1985)
- Slide Show (ECM, 1985 [1986]) with Ralph Towner
- The New Tango(Warner Bros, 1986)with Astor Piazzolla
- Whiz Kids (ECM, 1986)
- Times Like These (GRP, 1988)
- Reunion (GRP, 1989) with Pat Metheny, Will Lee, Peter Erskine, Mitchel Forman
- Right Time, Right Place (GNP Crescendo, 1990) with Paul Bley
- Cool Nights (GRP, 1991)
- Six Pack (GRP, 1992)
- It's Another Day (GRP, 1993)
- Face to Face (GRP, 1995) with Makoto Ozone
- Departure (Concord Jazz, 1997)
- Native Sense - The New Duets (Stretch Records, 1997) with Chick Corea
- Ástor Piazzolla Reunion: A Tango Excursion (Concord Jazz, 1998)
- Like Minds (Concord Jazz, 1998) with Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, and Dave Holland
- Libertango: The Music of Ástor Piazzolla (Concord Jazz, 2000)
- For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal (Concord Jazz, 2001)
- Virtuosi (Concord, 2002) with Makoto Ozone
- Music of Duke Ellington (LRC, 2003)
- Generations (Concord Jazz, 2004)
- Next Generation (Concord, 2005)
- The New Crystal Silence (Concord Jazz, 2008) with Chick Corea
- Quartet Live (Concord Jazz, 2009) with Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Antonio Sanchez
- Common Ground (Mack Avenue, 2011)
- Hot House (Concord Jazz, 2012) with Chick Corea
- Time Thread (Universal, 2013) with Makoto Ozone
- Guided Tour (Mack Avenue, 2013)[9]
Compilation[edit]
- Works (ECM, 1988)
- Collection (compilation album) (GRP, 1996)
- Take Another Look. A Career Retrospective (Mack Avenue, 2018), 5 Vinyl Box Set[10]
Collaborations[edit]
- Live from the Detroit Jazz Festival – 2013 (Mack Avenue, 2014)
- Hommage a Eberhard Weber (ECM, 2015)
As sideman[edit]
With Chet Atkins
- After the Riot at Newport with the Nashville Allstars (RCA, 1960)
With Bob Brookmeyer
- Bob Brookmeyer and Friends (Columbia, 1962)
With Thomas Clausen
- Café Noir (Intermusic, 1991)
- Flowers and Trees (MA Music, 1992)
With Bruce Cockburn
- The Charity of Night (1996)
With Floyd Cramer
- Last Date (1960)
With Eddie Daniels
- Benny Rides Again (GRP, 1992)
With Hank Garland
- After the Riot at Newport (1960), released under the name The Nashville All-Stars)
- Jazz Winds from a New Direction (1961) also released as Hank Garland & Gary Burton Three-Four The Blues (1961)
- The Unforgettable Guitar of Hank Garland (Columbia, 1962)
With Stan Getz
- Getz Au Go Go (Verve, 1964)
- Getz/Gilberto No. 2 (Verve, 1964)
- Nobody Else But Me (Verve, 1964)
- The Canadian Concert of Stan Getz (Can-Am, 1965)
- The Stan Getz Quartet in Paris (Verve, 1966)
With Tim Hardin
- Tim Hardin 1 (Verve, 1966)
With Quincy Jones
- Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini (Mercury, 1964)
With k.d. lang
- Ingénue (Sire, 1992)
With Jay Leonhart
- Four Duke (Absolute Spain, 1995)
With Arif Mardin
- Journey (Atlantic, 1974)
With Ástor Piazzolla
- The New Tango (Atlantic, 1987)
With George Shearing
- Jazz Concert (Capitol, 1963)
- Out of the Woods (Capitol, 1963)
- Rare Form! (Capitol, 1966, [1963])
With Steve Swallow
- Swallow (Xtra Watt, 1991)
With Eberhard Weber
- Fluid Rustle (ECM, 1979)
- Hommage à Eberhard Weber (ECM, 2015)
With Jon Weber
- Simple Complex (2nd Century Jazz, 2004)
Awards[edit]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Alone at Last | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist | Won |
1979 | Duet (with Chick Corea) | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group | Won |
1982 | In Concert, Zürich, October 28, 1979 (with Chick Corea) | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group | Won |
1998 | 'Rhumbata', Native Sense (with Chick Corea) | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | Won |
2000 | Like Minds (with Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes and Dave Holland) | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group | Won |
2009 | The New Crystal Silence (with Chick Corea) | Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance | Won |
2012 | Hot House (with Chick Corea) | Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo | Won |
See also[edit]
![Virtuosi Virtuosi](/uploads/1/2/7/2/127247806/632592568.jpg)
References[edit]
- ^Corley, Cheryl (May 8, 2004). 'Gary Burton Steps Down, Out: Jazz Vibraphonist Moves On After Three Decades at Berklee'. NPR.
- ^ abcMyers, Marc (July 27, 2010). 'Interview: Gary Burton'. All About Jazz. Archived from the original on August 5, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^Joyce Linehan (March 18, 2010). 'Gary Burton Performs 50-Year Retrospective, April 8'. Berklee College of Music.
- ^ abYanow, Scott. 'Gary Burton | Biography & History'. Allmusic. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
- ^Kelman, John (September 2, 2009). 'Chick Corea/Gary Burton: Crystal Silence – The ECM Recordings 1972–79'. All About Jazz. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ^Rothaus, Steve (February 27, 2017). 'Jazz superstar Gary Burton's final concert tour stops in South Florida'. Miami Herald. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^Chinen, Nate (June 9, 2017). 'Gary Burton: Retiring The Mallets'. NPR. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^Gavin, James (2001). Homophobia in Jazz, Jazztimes.com. Retrieved April 17, 2012
- ^'Gary Burton | Album Discography | AllMusic'. AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^'Gary Burton: Take Another Look: A Career Retrospective (Mack Avenue)'. jazztimes.com. February 16, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
![Gary burton makoto ozone virtuosi of houston tx Gary burton makoto ozone virtuosi of houston tx](/uploads/1/2/7/2/127247806/657116566.jpg)
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gary Burton. |
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gary_Burton&oldid=931014478'
Gary Burton © Andrea Canter© Andrea CanterMulti-Grammy winner and vibes master Gary Burton, a pioneer in the use of the four-mallet technique, recently announced he will retire from performing at the end of March, and is making his “final rounds” to some of his favorite cities with a favorite collaborator, pianist Makoto Ozone. Burton, now 74, is a long-time favorite with Twin Cities audiences, headlining the 2011 Twin Cities Jazz Festival and appearing several times at the Dakota over the past decade, with his New Generations Quartet, New Quartet, duo with Chick Corea, and in early 2016 with the Mack Avenue Superband. Gary Burton © Andrea CanterGary Burton’s six-decade career has been nothing short of brilliant. The winner of seven Grammy Awards (and 15 nominations) grew up in small-town Indiana, where he started piano, vibraphone and marimba lessons at age 6, winning the National Marimba Competition two years later. After the family moved, Burton continued to teach himself the vibraphone, and made his recording debut at only 17 with Hank Garland and Chet Atkins in Nashville.
He enrolled at the Berklee College of Music but left after a year to tour with George Shearing and then Stan Getz. With Getz, Burton’s reputation blossomed, and in 1965 he was named Talent Deserving Wider Recognition by Downbeat. Drawing audiences from jazz and rock, Burton was named Downbeat Jazz Artist of the Year for 1968–at 25, the youngest musician (at that time) to earn the award.
Shifting focus to more intimate settings, Burton’s solo recording Alone at Last was awarded a Grammy in 1971. Gary Burton © Andrea CanterOver the next four decades, Burton worked in solo, duo and quartet formats, leading bands with Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Larry Coryell and Roy Haynes; he toured and recorded in a famed duo with Chick Corea, a partnership that led to two more Grammy awards. Always experimenting with new ideas, Burton also explored tango and jazz interpretations of classical composers through collaboration with pianist Makoto Ozone, with whom he released the Grammy-nominated duet, Virtuosi (2002). In addition to touring with his Next Generations project (featuring guitarist Julian Lage) and accordionist Richard Galliano, and launching his New Quartet with Lage, Scott Colley and Antonio Sanchez), Burton has been involved in several orchestral projects, a quartet tour with Pat Metheny, and a “reunion” tour and Grammy-nominated recording ( Hot House, 2012) with Chick Corea. A Mack Avenue recording artists in recent years, he has appeared on tour and at the Detroit Jazz Festival with the Mack Avenue Superband.In addition to his performance and recording projects, Gary Burton has a long resume as an educator. First teaching percussion and improvisation classes at the Berklee College of Music in the early 70s, he was appointed Dean of Curriculum in 1985, awarded an honorary doctorate of music from the college in 1989, and named Executive Vice President in 1996, the position he held until his first “retirement” in 2004. He has continued to present clinics and master classes world-wide.
Makoto Ozone © Andrea CanterMakoto Ozone is one of Japan’s most celebrated jazz artists. He started on organ at four, turning to piano at age 12 after listening to albums by Oscar Peterson. He began studies in composition and arranging at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he was noticed by Gary Burton, later joining Burton’s band and recording his debut with Burton and Eddie Gomez.
Ozone later worked with the late European pianist Michel Petrucciani and spent extensive time studying classical music. Ozone has performed with jazz artists Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera and Branford Marsalis, and has appeared with major classical orchestras throughout the world. In 2015, he organized a quartet with Gary Meek, Tom Kennedy and Dave Weckl, touring throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan. In 2016, Ozone and Chick Corea embarked on their first nationwide duo tour in Japan. Makoto Ozone and Gary Burton © Andrea CanterGary and Makoto. Burton and Ozone have enjoyed two decades of collaboration. On their 2002 album Virtuosi, the pair explored the improvisational possibilities of classical themes including works by Brahms, Scarlatti, Ravel, Barber, and Gershwin.
In a rare move, the Recording Academy nominated Virtuosi in the Grammy ‘s Classical music category, a unique honor for Gary and Makoto.Autobiography. Gary Burton published his acclaimed Learning to Listen: The Jazz Journey of Gary Burton, in 2013. From his recollections of his rural Indiana childhood to his first gigs, recording at 17, touring with Stan Getz and stepping out on his own to become one of the most revered bandleaders in modern jazz, Gary Burton informs and entertains as he takes readers through his seventy years in this autobiography. In a straight-forward manner that clearly reflects his interpersonal style, Burton offers far more than the usual biographical commentary, bringing us into his life journey with often humorous and “tell all” anecdotes and informative asides about key figures in his history, including Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Stan Getz and Pat Metheny. The book also provides a context for Burton to reflect on his coming out as a gay man after two failed marriages and years of reluctant self-scrutiny.
Through Learning to Listen, we learn to listen better to the music of Gary Burton, and perhaps to the music of many others with whom he has collaborated over his 50+-year career. Burton-philes will also appreciate the extensive discography. Gary Burton, McNally Smith clinic at 2011 Twin Cities Jazz Festival, © Andrea CanterBurton ‘s Finale. Gary Burton recently announced that his current 8-city tour will be his last performances. At 74, and with major heart surgeries behind him, he notes that he having some “senior moments” and wants to leave music at the top of his game.
He told the Miami Herald that he has been thinking about retiring since publishing his autobiography ( Learning to Listen: The Jazz Journey of Gary Burton) in 2013 and releasing what will be his final album, his New Quartet’s Guided Tour.“I have been preparing for this for the past two years, gradually reducing my commitments and making the final decision for when to step back from my six decades of performing,” said Burton. “It increasingly makes me uncomfortable when I go out on stage and I don’t feel as confident that I’m going to have a great night. I’m starting to have moments — what we call ‘senior moments.’ I have them sometimes when I’m playing. I suddenly forget where I am in the song.
So for a few seconds I’m fumbling and having to guess where the heck am I, how do I get back into it, and so onI don’t think I’m sliding into Alzheimer’s or dementia or anything. I compare it to other kinds of careers. What if you’re a heart surgeon in the middle of an operation and suddenly you’re scrambled a little bit and have to regroup mentally to go on? Those are obvious examples where lives are risk. Nobody’s life is at risk if my solo bombs, but it’s a similar thing.”. Gary Burton, 2011 Twin Cities Jazz Festival © Andrea CanterThe idea for this final tour grew out of a request to play “one more time” for South Florida JAZZ, an organization Burton has served as artistic advisor for 13 years.
After scheduling a concert with Makoto Ozone at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Burton’s agent, Ted Kurland, suggested a series of final gigs in Burton’s favorite cities. “I said that sounds like a nice way to wrap things up. I ended up with a handful: Washington, New York, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis. Plus Fort Lauderdale,” noted Burton.If you are within driving distance of Minneapolis and appreciate the musicality and dedication of the geniuses of modern jazz, consider this a must-see event. Be part of an historic celebration of one of the genre’s most successful collaborations, one of its most significant pioneers, and surely one of its most admired artists.Gary Burton and Makotoa Ozone perform two sets on March 15 at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis (1010 Nicollet Mall),7 and 9 pm. Tickets and information at or 612-332-5299.
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