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.Corley, Cheryl (May 8, 2004)
"Gary Burton Steps Down, Out: Jazz Vibraphonist Moves On After Three Decades at Berklee"
. ''NPR''. 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 Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

Biography

Burton was born in Anderson, Indiana, United States. Beginning music at six years old, he mostly taught himself to play marimba and vibraphone. 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 The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist, ...

. Burton attended

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, in 1960–61 and the Stan Kenton Clinic at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. * Indiana Univers ...

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. Early in his career, at the behest of Nashville saxophonist Boots Randolph, Burton moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

and recorded with several musicians from the area, including guitarist Hank Garland, pianist Floyd Cramer and guitarist Chet Atkins. Burton toured the U.S. and Japan with pianist George Shearing.Yanow, Scott
"Gary Burton , Biography & History"
. ''AllMusic''. Retrieved December 25, 2017. Shearing asked Burton to write a whole album of compositions for him which were released as ''

Out of the Woods "Out of the Woods" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album, ''1989'' (2014). Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff. With lyrics inspired by a failed relationship and the ensuing anxi ...

'' in 1965. Burton described the album in his autobiography, ''Learning to Listen'', as his "most ambitious effort at composing and arranging". 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 craze of the 1970s, the group's first album, '' Duster'', combined jazz,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

, and rock. However, some of Burton's previous albums (notably '' Tennessee Firebird'' and ''

The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively fo ...

'', both from 1966) had already shown his inclination toward such experimentation. After Coryell left the quartet in the late 1960s, Burton worked with guitarists Jerry Hahn, David Pritchard, Mick Goodrick,

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

, John Scofield, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Julian Lage. Burton was named '' DownBeat'' 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 Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and " ...

, 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,

, Peter Erskine, Stan Getz, Hank Garland, Stephane Grappelli, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett,

B. B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

Steve Lacy Steve Lacy may refer to: Music * Steve Lacy (saxophonist) (1934–2004), American jazz saxophonist and composer * Steve Lacy (singer) (born 1998), American musician Other occupations *Steve Lacy (coach) (1908–2000), American college sports coach ...

, 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 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 second 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.

Personal life

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 the rather few openly gay jazz musicians of prominence. In 2013, he married Jonathan Chong in

Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provin ...

.Gavin, James (2001)
Homophobia in Jazz
, Jazztimes.com. Retrieved April 17, 2012 Burton's current partner is Dustin Le.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Compilations

* ''Works'' (ECM, 1984) P* ''Collection'' (GRP, 1996) * ''Take Another Look. A Career Retrospective'' (Mack Avenue, 2018) LPref>

Collaborations

* ''Live from the Detroit Jazz Festival – 2013'' (Mack Avenue, 2014) * ''Hommage a Eberhard Weber'' (ECM, 2015)

As sideman

With Thomas Clausen * ''Café Noir'' (Intermusic, 1991) * ''Flowers and Trees'' (MA Music, 1992) With Hank Garland * '' After the Riot at Newport'' (RCA Victor, 1960) – released under the name The Nashville All-Stars) * ''Jazz Winds from a New Direction'' (Columbia, 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 ''Getz Au Go Go'' is a live album by American saxophonist Stan Getz and his quartet, featuring bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto. It was recorded during two concerts in 1964 and released on Verve the same year as V6-8600. Track listing #"Cor ...

'' (Verve, 1964) * '' Nobody Else But Me'' (Verve, 1964) * '' Getz/Gilberto No. 2'' ( Verve, 1966) – recorded in 1964 * '' The Stan Getz Quartet in Paris'' (Verve, 1967) – live recorded in 1966 * ''The Canadian Concert of Stan Getz'' (Can-Am, 1983) – recorded in 1965 With George Shearing * 1963: ''

Jazz Concert ''Jazz Concert'' is a 1963 live album by George Shearing and his quintet, recorded 16 February 1963 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Reception Scott Yanow reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote that "The most memorable tracks include "W ...

'' ( Capitol, 1963) – live * 1963: ''

'' (Capitol, 1965) * 1963: ''

Rare Form! ''Rare Form!'' is a live album by George Shearing and his quintet, recorded in San Francisco in July 1963. It was released in 1966. Reception Scott Yanow reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote that Shearing and his quintet "...are heard on ...

'' (Capitol, 1966) – live With Eberhard Weber * '' Fluid Rustle'' (ECM, 1979) *''

Hommage à Eberhard Weber ''Hommage à Eberhard Weber'' is a live tribute album celebrating German double bassist and composer Eberhard Weber's 75th birthday recorded by the German public broadcaster SWR in Stuttgart in 2015 featuring Pat Metheny, Jan Garbarek, Gary Burt ...

'' (ECM, 2015) With others * Chet Atkins, '' After the Riot at Newport'' with the Nashville Allstars (RCA, 1960) * Bob Brookmeyer, '' Bob Brookmeyer and Friends'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, 1962) * Eric Clapton, ''

Journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that f ...

'' (Reprise Records, 1989) * Bruce Cockburn, ''The Charity of Night'' (True North, 1996) * Floyd Cramer, ''Last Date'' (RCA Victor, 1960) * Eddie Daniels, ''Benny Rides Again'' ( GRP, 1992) * Tim Hardin, '' Tim Hardin 1'' (Verve, 1966) - recorded in 1964-65 *

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, ''

Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini ''Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' is an album by Quincy Jones that contains music composed by Henry Mancini. Track listing All music composed by Henry Mancini, lyricists indicated # "Baby Elephant Walk" – 2:49 # "Charade" ( ...

'' ( Mercury, 1964) * k.d. lang, '' Ingénue'' ( Sire, 1992) * Livingston Taylor, '' There You Are Again'' (Coconut Bay, 2005) * Jay Leonhart, ''Four Duke'' (Absolute Spain, 1995) *

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ...

, '' Journey'' (Atlantic, 1974) - recorded in 1973 * Howard Jones, '' One to One'' (Elektra Records, 1986) * Steve Swallow, '' Swallow'' (Xtra Watt, 1991) * Jon Weber, ''

Simple Complex ''Simple Complex'' is a jazz album of original compositions by Pianist Jon Weber (musician), Jon Weber, featuring an unusual ensemble of well-known musicians. Simple Complex was released in 2004 to international critical acclaim. The album featured ...

'' (2nd Century Jazz, 2004)

Awards

, - , 1972 , '' Alone at Last'' , , Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist , , - , 1979 , '' Duet'' (with

) , Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group , , - ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...

, '' In Concert, Zürich, October 28, 1979'' (with

) , Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group , , - , 1998 , "Rhumbata", '' Native Sense'' (with

) , Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo , , - ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, '' Like Minds'' (with

, Roy Haynes and Dave Holland) , Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group , , - , 2009 , ''

The New Crystal Silence ''The New Crystal Silence'' is a 2008 live jazz album by pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton. It was released in a two-disc set. The first disc was recorded on May 10 and 12, 2007, at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. The second di ...

'' (with

) , Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance , , - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, ''Hot House'' (with

) , Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo , , -

References

External links

BBC's profile on Gary Burton

Gary Burton Interview from the NAMM Oral History Library (2008)

Gary Burton Interview from the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Gary 1943 births Living people American autobiographers American jazz composers American jazz vibraphonists American male jazz composers Avant-garde jazz musicians Berklee College of Music alumni Berklee College of Music faculty American gay musicians Grammy Award winners GRP All-Star Big Band members GRP Records artists ECM Records artists LGBT people from Indiana Mack Avenue Records artists Musicians from Anderson, Indiana 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people