Here's something you might be interested in.
"Thanks for coming out. This is the New Gary Burton Quartet. I think this is my third or fourth New Gary Burton Quartet," said the vibraphonist, setting off a ripple of laughter across the aisles of the sold out Neurosciences Institute on Oct. 12.
Burton made those remarks after a stellar opening version of the Mongo Santamaria classic, "Afro-Blue." Special guest drummer Peter Erskine (regular Antonio Sanchez was off to Poland for a Pat Metheny gig) and bassist Scott Colley locked together on the 3/4 pulse while Burton's golden rays of harmony reflected the sharp, blues inflected commentary from guitar protégé Julian Lage.
Colley laid down a probing, measured bass exploration to open his original "Never The Same Way" while Lage laced ornamental lattice work around the bass, and Burton waited patiently to spring the harmonized melodic content on top.
Burton's solo was a deliberate and story-telling affair, whereupon difficult and intricate runs ended with pensive chord punctuations which would ring in the ear while they decayed. Lage has got multitudinous chops, and, at 23, he's still getting a handle on how best to use, and not use them. He's at his best when he slows down a little and gives his lines room to breathe.
To me, the highlight of the concert came early, with an absolutely stunning arrangement of the standard, "I Hear A Rhapsody" that achieved a sound similar to the Modern Jazz Quartet with Grant Green sitting in. After a shimmering Burton solo that wove reverberant insights around the harmonic landscape, Lage's solo began with long stretches of paraphrased melody broken up by strings of chord-toned ideas that traversed the length of his fingerboard. Occasionally, he would happen upon a phrase that bore repeating, which he would oblige until the tension established would drive him to a new one.
Colley's bass work was a marvel throughout — he lit the harmonic pathways, held the rhythmic motifs like a colossus, and soloed with a keen balance of sure-footedness and daredevil alacrity.
It's hard to imagine two drummers more different than Erskine and Antonio Sanchez. Erskine's cool, strong breeze undoubtedly steered the Burton vessel into different waters than the Sanchez gale winds might have — but the vibraphonist and drummer have a long history that made for a thrilling trip, nonetheless.
Burton's second major highlight was a trip down memory lane--a defiant strut through Keith Jarrett's "In Your Own Quiet Place," a standout tune from their ECM release of the early '70s.
Not only was there nary an empty seat in sight, the ushers had to scrounge around for maybe 50 folding chairs to accommodate the SRO crowd, which didn't thin out one bit after the intermission.
The concert went for more than two hours and, still the crowd demanded, and received, an encore, a rather weird version of the Milt Jackson blues, "Bags Groove."
It was like a rock concert for people who dug real music.
This was the first in a series of fall concerts by the Athenaeum Jazz at the Neurosciences Institute. Next up, a rare San Diego appearance by the chamber jazz/ world music group Oregon, on Oct. 24.
Photo by Katie Walders--Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
"Thanks for coming out. This is the New Gary Burton Quartet. I think this is my third or fourth New Gary Burton Quartet," said the vibraphonist, setting off a ripple of laughter across the aisles of the sold out Neurosciences Institute on Oct. 12.
Burton made those remarks after a stellar opening version of the Mongo Santamaria classic, "Afro-Blue." Special guest drummer Peter Erskine (regular Antonio Sanchez was off to Poland for a Pat Metheny gig) and bassist Scott Colley locked together on the 3/4 pulse while Burton's golden rays of harmony reflected the sharp, blues inflected commentary from guitar protégé Julian Lage.
Colley laid down a probing, measured bass exploration to open his original "Never The Same Way" while Lage laced ornamental lattice work around the bass, and Burton waited patiently to spring the harmonized melodic content on top.
Burton's solo was a deliberate and story-telling affair, whereupon difficult and intricate runs ended with pensive chord punctuations which would ring in the ear while they decayed. Lage has got multitudinous chops, and, at 23, he's still getting a handle on how best to use, and not use them. He's at his best when he slows down a little and gives his lines room to breathe.
To me, the highlight of the concert came early, with an absolutely stunning arrangement of the standard, "I Hear A Rhapsody" that achieved a sound similar to the Modern Jazz Quartet with Grant Green sitting in. After a shimmering Burton solo that wove reverberant insights around the harmonic landscape, Lage's solo began with long stretches of paraphrased melody broken up by strings of chord-toned ideas that traversed the length of his fingerboard. Occasionally, he would happen upon a phrase that bore repeating, which he would oblige until the tension established would drive him to a new one.
Colley's bass work was a marvel throughout — he lit the harmonic pathways, held the rhythmic motifs like a colossus, and soloed with a keen balance of sure-footedness and daredevil alacrity.
It's hard to imagine two drummers more different than Erskine and Antonio Sanchez. Erskine's cool, strong breeze undoubtedly steered the Burton vessel into different waters than the Sanchez gale winds might have — but the vibraphonist and drummer have a long history that made for a thrilling trip, nonetheless.
Burton's second major highlight was a trip down memory lane--a defiant strut through Keith Jarrett's "In Your Own Quiet Place," a standout tune from their ECM release of the early '70s.
Not only was there nary an empty seat in sight, the ushers had to scrounge around for maybe 50 folding chairs to accommodate the SRO crowd, which didn't thin out one bit after the intermission.
The concert went for more than two hours and, still the crowd demanded, and received, an encore, a rather weird version of the Milt Jackson blues, "Bags Groove."
It was like a rock concert for people who dug real music.
This was the first in a series of fall concerts by the Athenaeum Jazz at the Neurosciences Institute. Next up, a rare San Diego appearance by the chamber jazz/ world music group Oregon, on Oct. 24.
Photo by Katie Walders--Athenaeum Music & Arts Library