Chicago's Jazz Showcase will be presenting Gary Burton and his 'Generations' band for a week of dazzling music from July 19th through the 23rd.  Vibraphonist and educator Gary Burton is known for developing the
then-innovative technique
of playing the instrument with four mallets, rather than the usual two.
Winner of "Down Beat"
magazine's "Jazzman of the Year" award, a member of the Percussion Hall
of Fame, and Dean of Curriculum of the Berklee College of Music in
Boston, Burton is known worldwide as a musical innovator and master
improviser. In a career that has spanned four decades, he's recorded
with jazz legends like Stan Getz, George Shearing, and Quincy Jones,
pop and rock stars like k. d. Lang and Eric Clapton, and lead the
Burton Quartet.
Currently on tour with his 'Generations" band of young and talented players, Burton
continues to explore music.
"Next Generation" is his latest CD - Click
here for an
streaming-audio preview.
Born in 1943 and raised in Indiana, Gary Burton taught himself to
play the vibraphone and, at the age of 17, made his recording debut in
Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarists Hank Garland and Chet Atkins. Two
years later, Burton left his studies at Berklee College of Music to
join George Shearing and subsequently Stan Getz, with whom he worked
from 1964-1966.
As a member of Getz's quartet, Burton won Down Beat magazine's
Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition award in 1965. By the time he
left Getz to form his own quartet in 1967, Burton had also recorded
three albums under his name for RCA. Borrowing rhythms and sonorities
from rock music, while maintaining jazz's emphasis on improvisation and
harmonic complexity, Burton's first quartet attracted large audiences
from both sides of the jazz-rock spectrum. Down Beat magazine awarded
him its Jazzman of the
Year award in 1968. During his subsequent association with the label
The Burton Quartet expanded to include the young Pat
Metheny on guitar, and the band began to explore a repertoire of modern
compositions. In the '70s, Burton also began to focus on more intimate
contexts for his music. His 1971 album Alone at Last, a solo vibraphone
concert recorded at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, was honored with a
Grammy Award. Burton also turned to the rarely heard duo format,
recording with bassist Steve Swallow, guitarist Ralph Towner, and most
notably with pianist Chick Corea, thus cementing a long personal and
professional relationship that has garnered an additional two Grammy
Awards.
Also in the '70s, Burton began his career with Berklee College of
Music in Boston. Burton began as a teacher of percussion and
improvisation classes at Berklee in 1971. In 1985 he was named Dean of
Curriculum. In 1989, he received an honorary doctorate of music from
the college, and in 1996, he was appointed Executive Vice President.
Burton began recording for GRP records in the '80s and '90s. Burton
is now recording for Concord Records.
Catch Gary Burton with his exciting "Generations" band July 19th-24th at
JAZZ SHOWCASE
59 W. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60610
Telephone: (312)670-2473
www.jazzshowcase.com
The Jazz Showcase is in the heart of Chicago just north of Chicago's Loop, four blocks west of Michigan Avenue, five blocks north of the Chicago River, and within walking distance of most downtown hotels.
After Chicago, catch Gary Burton with his exciting "Generations" band:
- July 25-26 - Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis, MN
Band
- July 29 - Snowbird Jazz Festival, Snowbird, Utah
Band
- July 30 - Lensic Theatre, Santa Fe, NM
- Aug 10 - Hollywood Bowl, LA, CA,
- Aug 14 - Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI
- Aug 20-28 - JAPAN Tour w/ Generations Band
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Friday, 05 December 2008
