photo by Andrea Canter

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 also explored 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, Burton again toured with his Next Generations project and 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 in addition to the quartet tour with Pat Metheny; late in the year, will again record a duo album with Chick Corea, leading to tour dates in the US and abroad.

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.

Pat Metheny’s Grammy-studded career dates back to age 13 when he first started to play guitar at 13. Still in his teens, he taught at both the University of Miami and Berklee College of Music, and made his recording debut with Paul Bley and Jaco Pastorius in 1974. After three years with the Gary Burton Quartet in the mid-70s, he formed his own “Pat Metheny Group” with keyboardist Lyle Mays, bassist Mark Egan, and drummer Dan Gottlieb (later replaced by Paul Wertico), a group that would set the standard for jazz fusion. By the 1980s, Metheny was ECM’s most popular recording and touring artist. He teamed with Dewey Redman and Mike Brecker in a post-bop quintet; with Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins recorded the famous Song X with Ornette Coleman. Metheny also recorded with Sonny Rollins, Dave Holland, and Roy Haynes; and toured with Herbie Hancock and Joshua Redman. The Pat Metheny Group has reappeared in several configurations. The early 2000s edition featured Mays, Cuong Vu, bassist/ vocalist/ guitarist/ percussionist Richard Bona, and drummer Antonio Sanchez. In 2003, the Group’s Speaking of Now won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album; a feat duplicated in 2005 for The Way Up, Metheny’s seventh consecutive Grammy for consecutive albums. In 2006, the Pat Metheny Group includes Mays, Vu, Sanchez, bassist Steve Rodby, harmonica player Gregoire Maret, and guitarist/ vocalist/ percussionist Nando Lauria.

Born in New York, bassist Steve Swallow started out on piano and trumpet before switching to bass at 14. He studied composition at Yale while playing Dixieland with Peewee Russell, Buck Clayton, and Vic Dickenson. His fate was sealed, however, when he met Paul and Carla Bley and relocated to New York, where he played with Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, and George Russell. Over the next few years he played with Benny Goodman, Marian McPartland, Chico Hamilton, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, Bob Brookmeyer and Chick Corea, later touring with Art Farmer and then Stan Getz before joining Gary Burton’s Quartet in 1968. Swallow switched from acoustic to electric bass in 1970 and taught a few years at Berklee. By the late 70s he had joined the Carla Bley Band, and in the 80s began a long relationship with John Scofield. He joined forces with Pat Metheny in the early 90s, and later formed several ensembles that included young tenor saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Paul Motian. A consistent winner of the Downbeat Readers’ and Critics’ Polls for electric bass, his amazing tone is always recognizable.

Mexico City native Antonio Sanchez discovered his affinity for the drums at age five. At 17, he enrolled in the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City, later extending his studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While in Boston, Sanchez had the opportunity to play with such area residents as Gary Burton, Mick Goodrick and Danilo Perez. He studied further with Perez and George Garzone at the New England Conservatory of Music before Paquito D’Rivera recruited him for the drum chair of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra. Later he joined Perez’ acoustic trio. While touring with Perez in Europe, Sanchez was offered the chance to work with the Pat Metheny Group. He later joined Methey’s acoustic trio with Christian McBride. Sanchez has also played with Michael Brecker, David Sanchez, Charlie Haden, John Patitucci, Chris Potter, Avishai Cohen, Marcus Roberts, Dave Samuels, Claudia Acuña, and Luciana Souza. Metheny describes him as “one of the most talented drummers of his generation.”

Yoshi’s will host the Gary Burton Quartet, June 8-11. A sell-out is expected and tickets are limited to four per person. Visit www.yoshis.com for reservations.

Yoshi’s is located at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA. See Gary Burton’s itinerary and additional information at www.garyburton.com. The Gary Burton Quartet travels to Santa Cruz on June 12 ( http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pr/civic/) and to the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara on June 13 ( http://www.lobero.com). Moving east, the Quartet will appear at the Ravinia Jazz Festival in suburban Chicago on June 15^th ( www.ravinia.org).