 |
||||||
|
|
||||||
 |
||||||
       |
||||||
 |
||||||
|
Search our site:           |
|
 by Doug Tatum
On Saturday, October 30, the second concert of our season will feature Gary Burton's Generations Quartet. Burton's amazing mastery of the vibraphone has been the hallmark of a career that has spanned more than four decades. Born in 1943 and raised in Indiana, Burton taught himself to play the vibraphone and, at the age of 17, he made his recording debut in Nashville with guitarists Hank Garland and Chet Atkins. Two years later, Burton joined George Shearing and later Stan Getz, with whom he worked from 1964–1966. Leaving to form his own quartet in 1967, Burton's musical conception borrowed rhythms and sonorities from rock, establishing himself and his group as pioneers of jazz/rock fusion. Burton's burgeoning popularity was quickly validated by Down Beat magazine, which named him “Jazzman of the Year” in 1968. In the 1970s, the Gary Burton Quartet prominently featured a young Pat Metheny on guitar, and the band began to explore a repertoire of innovative modern compositions. Burton also began to focus on more intimate contexts for his music. His 1971 album Alone at Last, a solo vibraphone concert recorded at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, was honored with a Grammy Award. Burton also made duo recordings with bassist Steve Swallow, guitarist Ralph Towner, and most notably with pianist Chick Corea, thus cementing a long personal and professional relationship that has garnered an additional two Grammy Awards. His 1998 Concord release, Like Minds, an all-star recording featuring his frequent collaborators Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes and Dave Holland, was also honored with a Grammy Award, Burton's fifth. Gary's latest CD on the Concord label, Generations, features another skyrocketing guitarist, 17-year-old Julian Lage. Burton first encountered Lage when the then 12-year-old guitarist performed with a youth jazz band during the 1998 Grammy Awards. Burton states, “Even during that brief spotlight, I could tell he was a natural improviser who could really swing. A few months later, I invited Julian to play a concert with myself and Herbie Hancock.” With this concert, the Folly is proud to feature Julian Lage as this season's “Folly Jazz Spotlight,” which is our annual feature of a rising jazz talent making his or her Kansas City premiere. Rounding out the lineup of the 2004–2005 Folly Jazz Series is the Benny Golson Quartet–December 10, the Marian McPartland Trio–January 22, Ann Hampton Callaway–February 26, Dr. John–March 12, and the Russell Malone Quartet–April 15. Single tickets start at $15 for all of the concerts with the Folly's new, discounted “Backbeat seats”. These seats are in the last few rows; however, the natural acoustics in that location in the historic Folly Theater are unsurpassed. If hearing great jazz masters perform in a live concert is what you want, I guarantee that you won't miss a thing. For more information call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444, or visit our web site: www.follytheater.com. -- Doug Tatum For more information call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444 or check out our website: www.follytheater.com. |
|
           |
|
 |
||||||
Gary Burton Concert Features Julian Lage