On Common Ground, Gary Burton's debut release for Mack Avenue, the pioneer of the four-mallet technique to play the vibes is not only delivering his first studio album since 2005, but also introducing his new band. Known throughout his five-decade career for his quartets, Burton returns to this configuration for the first time since the mid-'90s, with great enthusiasm for the new band's alchemy.

• Double LP
• 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl
• Cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

On Gary Burton's debut release on Mack Avenue Records Common Ground, the Grammy-winning pioneer of the four-mallet technique of playing the vibes is not only delivering his first studio album since 2005, but is also introducing his latest band. Well-known throughout his five-decade career for his quartets (beginning with his 1967 group featuring Larry Coryell, Roy Haynes and Steve Swallow), Burton is returning to the configuration for the first time since the mid-'90s. He expresses great enthusiasm for the new band's alchemy. "I've always liked the vibraphone-guitar sound," says Burton, whose masterful vibes glisten throughout Common Ground. "It's something that I discovered when Nashville country guitarist Hank Garland invited me in the '60s to record with him. The sound of the two instruments together has an ideal timbre and coolness."

While Burton has crossed multiple stylistic borders since he broke into the jazz ranks in the ‘60s, he finds that he often returns to the straight-ahead jazz quartet setting. That’s why Common Ground by the New Gary Burton Quartet is so special to him. “Since my very first group in 1967, I can count maybe three times that one of my groups over the years clicked so perfectly,” he says. “Whenever I start a new group, I often wonder how things will work, to see if the musicians will enjoy playing together and are ready to take the music to a higher level. With the new band, I’m thrilled. It’s proving to be one of the standout bands of my career and has already quickly developed its own identity.”

"Once Gary Burton retired from his duties at Berklee, he began to scale back his touring with a full-time quartet. In 2010, he assembled a new band with the phenomenal young guitarist Julian Lage (who first sat in with the vibraphonist at the age of 12), veteran bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Antonio Sanchez, all of whom have recorded as bandleaders themselves. Six of the tracks were contributed by the quartet's members, starting with Colley's intricate "Never the Same Way," which incorporates a Latin flavor in its tricky 7/4 meter. Sanchez contributed the infectious cooker "Common Ground" (featuring great solos all around and capturing the spirit of Burton's earlier quartets), and "Did You Get It?" a lively blues with a playful call-and-response between Lage and Burton in its introduction.

The leader frequently dismisses his efforts as a composer, but his bittersweet, melancholy ballad "Was It So Long Ago?" is further proof that he needs to spend more time writing; his infectious tango is a lyrical work. Lage is just as promising a songwriter as he is a guitarist. His challenging "Etude" evolved from a study piece he uses with his students; the intricate, rapid-fire introduction segues into a Spanish-flavored midsection that showcases his formidable chops. Burton also revisits songs from his past. Lage introduces "My Funny Valentine" with a well-disguised improvisation that doesn't state its well-known theme until the full band joins him near the halfway mark, then both Burton and Colley take solos, backed by Sanchez's soft but effective percussion. Burton also revisits Keith Jarrett's "In a Quiet Place," blending reflective moments with a bluesy air at times. Common Ground stands alongside the many landmark albums in Gary Burton's vast discography." - Ken Dryden, All Music

Musicians:

Gary Burton, vibes
Scott Colley, bass
Julian Lage, guitar
Antonio Sanchez, drums

Track Listing:

LP 1 Side A
1. Late Night Sunrise
2. Never the Same Way

LP 1 Side B
1. Common Ground
2. Was It So Long Ago?
3. Etude

LP 2 Side C
1. Last Snow
2. Did You Get It?
3. My Funny Valentine

LP 2 Side D
1. Banksy
2. In Your Quiet Place

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