Photo by Andrea Canter

A true legend of modern jazz, vibraphone master Gary Burton also has a knack for identifying new talent. One of the hottest ensembles touring in the past two years, Burton's Next Generations Band, featuring sensational teen guitarist Julian Lage, will be on stage at Birdland, April 12-15.

Gary Burton's four-decade career has been nothing short of brilliant. The winner of five Grammy Awards, Burton taught himself to play the vibes, 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 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. Shifting focus to more intimate settings, Burton's solo recording Alone at Last was awarded a Grammy in 1971.

Over the next three decades he worked in solo, duo and quartet formats, including stints with Pat Metheney, Steve Swallow, Ralph Towner, and particularly with Chick Corea, a partnership that led to two more Grammy awards. Always experimenting with new ideas, Burton has alsoexplored tango and recently jazz interpretations of classical composers through collaboration with pianist Makoto Ozone, with whom he released the Grammy-nominated duet, Virtuosi. This spring, in addition to tours with his Next Generations project, he'll be in Europe with accordionist Richard Galliano and a rhythm section of James Genus and Clarence Penn. For 2006, Burton is also involved in several orchestral projects, a new quartet tour with Pat Metheny, and, late in the year, will again record a duo album with Chick Corea, leading to tour dates in the US and abroad.

Photo by Andrea Canter

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.

Photo by Andrea Canter

A few years ago, Burton launched the Next Generations project with four young lion collaborators. "I was fortunate to find four of the most talented young musicians around, and to my delight, their unique blend of styles and personalities make for one of the best bands I have ever had." Jazz-guitar phenom Julian Lage, now all of 18, is no stranger to jazz venues, having dazzled fans in the Bay Area since he was 8 years old. Burton's 2004 album Generations spotlighted Lage's Jim Hall-influenced guitar chops and his emerging skills as composer--Lage contributed three songs to the CD. Of the recording, Don Heckman (Los Angeles Times) observed that Lage "showed all the signs of potential stardom." The other members of the band are rising stars in their own rights, only a few years older than Lage--Ukranian native Vadim Neselovski on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, and James Williams on drums. The quintet's second release on Concord, Next Generation (2005), sparked comment from Robert Calder (All About Jazz), "Burton's not the only mature player in the quintet, and youthfulness isn't confined to the other four guys. Forget for the moment all the cliches about promise; this set marks the generation of some achievement."

Photo by Andrea Canter

"When you assemble a group of musicians from scratch, you never know how well it's going to mesh," Burton says. "I can count only four or five times in my career where a newly formed band has meshed so quickly...This Next Generation band has all the earmarks of being one that I'm going to love working with." -Gary Burton

Gary Burton's Next Generation band will play at Birdland in Manhattan, April 12-15, two sets each night. More information and tickets at www.birdlandjazz.com. See Gary Burton's itinerary and additional information at www.garyburton.com