Gary Burton Discusses New Book, Performs on 11/12

On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, Gary Burton will come to the stage at the Berklee College of Music Performance Center. The jazz vibraphonist and seven-time Grammy Award-winner will share stories from his new autobiography through conversation and music. 

The program will feature Burton in conversation with renowned jazz critic and Grammy Award-winner Bob Blumenthal. Blumenthal received two Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes: the first in 1999 for Coltrane: The Classic Quartet/Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings and the second in 2000 for Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-61. Additionally, Burton and his quintet will perform. This group will include Burton, Julian Lage, Vadim Neselovskyi, Jorge Roeder and Lee Fish. As an added bonus, each member of the audience will receive a copy of his autobiography entitled, Learning to Listen: The Jazz Journey of Gary Burton.

Burton is certainly no stranger to Berklee. Once a student at the college, he went on to become a teacher at Berklee, served as dean and eventually held the position of executive vice president for 10 years. Burton dedicated 50 years of his life to Berklee and its students who were under his care and responsibility and he continues to teach for Berklee Online. Certainly this man knows the incredible power that accompanies a well-rounded education. This unique opportunity should not be missed, as this program here in Boston will not be available anywhere else.

In his autobiography, Burton shares both personal and professional aspects of his life, ranging from his humble upbringing in a small Midwestern farm town, to developing a unique, 4-mallot vibes technique that revolutionized the face of jazz-rock. He details many exciting adventures that arose along his journey. Included in his stories are the opportunities to have seen Jimi Hendrix’s first New York City Performance, the privilege of working with guitar legend Eric Clapton and members of the Eagles and to have been nominated for the Best Classical Album Grammy Award for his recording “Virtuosi.”

This very special event is sure to leave its audience inspired, musically enthralled and doubly motivated to keep working toward and striving for those artistic and creative passions that drive our hearts and minds. This event will take place at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC) at 136 Massachusetts Ave. on November 12. Tickets are $28, or $16 for students and are available at the BPC box office. The BPC is wheelchair accessible.