GARY BURTON – Rare Interview and Free Improvisation Masterclass!

Gary Burton, the multiple-Grammy-winning jazz vibraphonist has been an influential force on the vibraphone — the Burton grip, the technique he invented to play pianistically with 4-mallets, bears his name. He is also an important figure in jazz education, through a 33-year affiliation with the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

As a bandleader he made what is arguably the first jazz fusion album, in the 1960s, and has since mentored many artists including the guitarists Pat Metheny and Julian Lage. He also mentored composers such as Michael Gibbs, Steve Swallow, and Carla Bley, recording their music on his many successful albums. His long collaborative history with the pianist Chick Corea resulted in 6 Grammys and are regarded as one of the highest examples of the jazz duet.

In 2016 Gary Burton was recognized as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, the highest honor reserved for a jazz musician.

But for me, I will always be grateful to have had him as a teacher when I was a student at the Berklee College of Music from 1971 to 1975. As you are about to hear, Gary explains things extremely clearly, so that information that is new and sophisticated seems logical and inevitable. He was also very encouraging to me as a composer, and we spent many happy sessions looking at my tunes and discussing the possibilities.

In 2004 I wrote and hosted a radio series for the BBC, “Inside Improvisation”. Enjoy my interview with the great, Gary Burton.

GARY BURTON – Rare Interview and Free Improvisation Masterclass!

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