Hammer scholar

Vibist Gary Burton returns to recording

by Ed Hazell

Vibraphonist Gary Burton has eased back into recording after a two-year break with Departure (Concord), a relaxed session of standards played among longtime compatriots. "I was in the mood to do something very easy, familiar, and friendly," he explains in his office at the Berklee College of Music. "So I gathered some friends to do a record of standards. I had kind of avoided going in that direction before, primarily because so many other people were doing it. The slight irony here is that Concord is known for putting out more traditional jazz, so when they asked me what I wanted to do for my first recording, I think they were almost a little disappointed. I'm sure that many people will think Concord made me do this. But it was actually my idea."

Burton's group of friends -- guitarist John Scofield, pianist Fred Hersch, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Peter Erskine -- make this a particularly amiable session. There are no fireworks, but there are plenty of fresh ideas, plus lots of supportive interplay (here's a vote for a duet album with Hersch), and their ensemble sound is beguiling. Scofield serves as a good foil for Burton; his tone is sharper and hotter, and his solos more angular. Hersch is, as usual, impeccable; he's a discreet and imaginative accompanist, and a nimble soloist. Patitucci and Erskine are smooth and efficient, just what this date calls for.

Burton is unfailingly lyrical, confident, and masterful without grandstanding. He paces each unhurried solo to build organically from simplicity to complexity. On "Tenderly," he avoids tension-building devices like repetition or riffing in favor of melodic development and careful note placement. His touch on "Poinciana" gives you more of a feeling of smoothly rippling liquid than a sense of mallets striking metal. His tone is lovely, yet plain. On "For All We Know," each bright soap-bubble note hangs softly in the air, matter of fact in its elegance and simple beauty.

"A record is an odd thing," Burton says. "It's like a collection of short stories, each with its own message, mood, and style. My approach has always been to pick the first two tunes that I feel set the style of the record. Then every other piece I pick has to feel like it goes with one of those two tunes. In this case, I started with `September Song,' which I felt was just a nice and easy, straight-ahead standard, and the Duke tune [`Depk'], which added more spice and interest. So with those two things in mind, I simply went through my memory bank of tunes that I thought would be fun to record."

Instead of just running through tunes, the band play arranged interpretations of the melodies -- sometimes in harmony, but sometimes in a unison that recalls pianist George Shearing, Burton's first employer after he graduated from Berklee in 1962. "I certainly didn't set out to do a George Shearing style record. You can combine guitar, piano, and vibes and not necessarily have it remind people of Shearing, but if you have them play melodies together, it inevitably is reminiscent of his sound. I knew I had to accept it. In fact, it encouraged me to go even further on a couple of the pieces, where I echo George's style of reharmonization and rhythmic variation. Interestingly enough, when I was with George, he wasn't playing Shearing-style unison tunes. He had gotten tired of it after 20 years, so we did only a medley a night of his older stuff."

Burton cut back on recording and performing when he was promoted to executive vice-president of Berklee in December 1995. He also gave up his band for the first time in 27 years to concentrate on mastering the day-to-day operation of the school he first attended as a student. A faculty member since 1970 and dean of curriculum since 1985, Burton has helped guide the creation of new majors and has been partly responsible for its acceptance of digital technologies as instruments and as teaching tools.

"I feel sort of like Nixon in China," he says. "I've been the traditional `old' Berklee acoustic jazz musician who's been responsible for opening up the computer revolution at the college. But I hope I've lent credibility to the direction [college president] Lee Berk has recently taken the institution in. I find my work here increasingly rewarding, and it's important to me personally."

After more than a year at his new position, Burton has returned to recording with a vengeance. By the end of 1997 he will have released three new albums, including his first recorded duet with Chick Corea in 12 years (due in October) and a December release that reunites him with members of the quintet of the late nuevo tango innovator Astor Piazzolla. "I think that when I look back over my career, I'll see 1997 as one of my best years ever."