■

10n

Gary Burton:
the low-key
vibe-master

By Ken Eisner
such a dreadful past.
"There was even a time in
icturc this: it's 1967's
the rock world, especially in
Summer of Love and
the '70s, when you weren't
you 'vc just drifted into
allowed to even talk about
San Francisco's Fillmore
azz-it was sort of like AIDS
Auditorium in time to catch
in some circles. It's really the
a new foursome from out of
antithesis of everything rock
town. Peering through the
stands for. Now, pop music
lyscrgic haze and happily
has become just another
writhing free-dancers, the
marketing exercise-people
drummer and bass player
like Sting and Peter Gabriel
look like bush-bearded
arc an aberration-and the
mountain men, the longimprovisational nature of
haired leader has a Teddy
azz subverts all that comRoosevelt moustache and
lctely. I know I haven't got
swings his beads and buckthe interest in playing that
skin fringes when introducamc, and I'm just glad that
ing the round-faced guitarist.
hcsc circumstances have
who immediately launches
urned around and I can
into a frenzy of feedback and
come out of the Jazz closet.··
distortion. The CollectoF§f
The first, post-closet
The Move? The Peanut Butter
Earthworks album is a sclfConspiracy? No, just another
itlcd profile of four very
gig for jazzman Gary Burton.
istinctivc musicians, work"Those were the most exing towards a futuristic, imciting times for all kinds of
provisational world music
music," mused the 45-ycar(not unlike Barbara Thompold master vibraphonist in a
son ·s Paraphernalia and
call from his Massachusetts
heir eclectic Brit-mix). Huthome. "I don't think things
ton's muscular acoustic bass
have ever been as open, bethe roots for the
1 rovidcs
fore or since."·
rocccdings, Ballamy plays
Burton, who brings his lata wild array of reeds over the
est quintet to tt.c Vancouver
op, and Bruford and Bates
East Cultural Centre for an
end out waves of electronic
intimate evening on Saturound. In person, young
day (July 2), docsn·t spend a
1ango (he must come from
lot of time looking back.
a musical family!) eschews
though. His career has barehis keyboards in favour of
ly cooled down from the time
trumpet and, unusually for
when the Indiana-born musiazz, the tenor horn.
cian first stepped into a
"I loved playing with AdriNashville recording studio
an Belew, for example. but
with his then-exotic instruthere arc such basic limitament. Starting with country
ions in rock-the most overand MOR dates, he recorded
helming being the lack of
and toured with superstar
armonic knowledge ·· sa
(JM...
ruford. "Somebody like
launching his own grounddrian can't really manocubreaking albums, many of
rc out of ari arrangement
which featured the abovec·s put himself into, where
mentioned fusion avatar.
good Jazz player can work
Larry Coryell.
is way out of anything. I
"The rockers really came
ucss Django Bates is our around to check out Larry:·
!Adrian now: he's a very athe remembers. "There was
ractivc player on-stage, fusmuch more cross-pollination
ng our ideals in a physical
then, and they dug his speed
ay. I don't want people to and dexterity." Of course.
hink we're bringing some
few could have missed Burcpcllcnt, theoretical jazz ton's own incredible fourhat will be no fun."
mallet technique, and vibeJudging from the buoyant sounds began appearing in
clodics, Afro-Arabic underthe music of more adventones and predominance of turous bands, like the Sons
ruford's "whirled instru- of Champlin and the Grateful
cnts", there's no danger of Dead. ··A lot of the older
hat. But Earthworks is realrockers were jazzers who
ly only a new beginning for
had, switched around. and
his veteran percussionist.
[impresario] Bill Graham lovith a brand-new drumkit ed throwing all these difhat contains only vestiges of ferent acts together."
he traditional acoustic setIn the '70s, Burton was disup (he triggers an amazing appointed to sec these invariety of on-stage effects novative musical forms dihrough the wonders of verge again, but he had his
IOI), this articulate Enghands full between constant
lishman has faced the chaltouring and teaching at Boslenges of the computer age
ton's Berklec School of Muhead-on.
sic. Over the years, he has in"Electronics promise so creased his reputation
uch, but there arc still so through thoughtful pairings
many problems about autowith profound artists like
mation and human-ncss. I Keith Jarrett, Stephane
remember when King Crim- Grappclli, Ralph Towner.
son got its first drum and especially Chick Corea.
achinc, around 1973, I lov- Their relatively frequent
ed it 'cause I could play all duct recordings (198l's
his fancy stuff on top of the Grammy-winning In Congroove. So we had this hyp- cert, Zurich two-record set is
hotic beat going at a big con- still a highlight) seem to
crt and I was playing this bring out something special
percussion rack with my in each man's prodigious
ack to the audience for playing, and the vibist adabout 15 minutes, and when mits that Corea is probably
turned around, they were his favourite foil.
"There's so much I admire
all asleep!
"The trick will be to con- about Chick, but I'm always
rol this technology to come amazed by his tremendous
p with new things that arc scope. Lesser players could
till music. I'm sure that,
build entire careers out of
!thin a handful of years, all just one aspect of his music,
usicians-whatcver their but he manages to balance
nstrumcnts-will be cap- fusion things with acoustic
blc of generating totally music, symphonic works,
unique, unhcard-on-this- and other projects. He's kept
lanct sounds. Who knows if his interests alive in elechat will be good or bad; I tronics and all sorts of pop
ust want to be around to sec music, where I guess I've lost

P

_-CC'--""

1

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