Monday, August 5, 2013

Burton at 70; Thompson Heads a Trio - Bob Stewart


Vibraphonist Gary Burton began his career at age 17 in an unlikely place for a jazz musician, recording in Nashville with luminaries Chet Atkins and Hank Garland. He cut his teeth touring with George Shearing and Stan Getz, went on to form his first quartet in 1967 and is celebrating 40-year long creative partnerships with both Chick Corea and Pat Metheny. He's also been active for years in music education as a teacher and administrator at the famed Berklee College of Music. In a career rich with variety, collaboration and innovation, the vibraphone master now celebrates his 70th birthday with a brand new release -- "Guided Tour." The line-up of the New Gary Burton Quartet remains the same with Julian Lage on guitar, Scott Colley on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums.

Drummer Chester Thompson has done it all. From embarking on world tours with Weather Report and Frank Zappa to performing in sports arenas with Phil Collins and Genesis, he is a seasoned veteran on the world's music scene. And now, for the first time, he's doing what he's always dreamed of doing: leading a jazz trio with two of the country's finest young lions on the new CD -- "Approved." Pianist Joe Davidian and bassist Michael Rinne join Thompson in blending influences from Brazil to Cuba to Tin Pan Alley and American mainstream, featuring pieces from Thompson's past groups, originals by his trio mates, and inventive arrangements of pop and jazz standards by all three.

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