Book Gary Burton

Gary Burton is the American vibraphonist, composer and educator who reinvented his instrument and helped open the door to jazz fusion. Born in Anderson, Indiana, he largely taught himself marimba and vibraphone as a child and later drew inspiration from pianist Bill Evans. He developed a four-mallet approach that let the vibraphone voice full chords like a piano, a technique that has been studied and copied by players ever since. His recording career began with New Vibe Man In Town (1962) and grew to dozens of albums, among them A Genuine Tong Funeral (1968), Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett (1971), Alone at Last (1971) and Crystal Silence (1973), the first of his celebrated duet records with pianist Chick Corea. Burton helped make the intimate duo format a respected part of jazz. He won multiple Grammy Awards and was named a NEA Jazz Master. He also spent 30 years at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he shaped generations of musicians as a teacher and administrator. He retired from performing in 2017, leaving a deep catalog of influential recordings.