Record Reviews

GARY BURTON ~ COMMON GROUND MACK AVENUE 1061 (Barcode: 673203106123) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2011 This is an album by American vibraphonist / composer / bandleader Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist, recorded with his “New Gary Burton Quartet”, the last quartet he led before his retirement in 2017. It is the first album by this quartet, which was followed by the 2nd album from 2013, called “Guided TourFind albums with this title”, which would be the last studio album Burton recorded. The quartet includes guitarist Julian LageFind albums by this artist, bassist Scott ColleyFind albums by this artist and Mexican drummer Antonio SanchezFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, with only one being an original composition by Burton, two each by Lage and Sanchez, one by Colley, two by Ukrainian pianist / composer Vadim NeselovskyiFind albums by this artist, a member of Burton previous quartet, one by Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist and finally one is a standard. The album offers wonderful sound quality. The music is all strictly within melodic mainstream Jazz idiom, brilliantly executed by Burton, who is in perfect form and the young excellent musicians, who accompany him. Although not composed by Burton, the music is very much within his usual style, which prefers the European Jazz esthetics, with complex harmonies and subtle lyricism, which were always his trademark. Therefore, although not innovative or surprising, the music is a perfect continuation of Burton’s recorded legacy. The dialogues between the vibraphone and guitar, which are a leading feature in Burtons groups (Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist, Mick GoodrickFind albums by this artist, Pat MethenyFind albums by this artist and others) through the years, proves again to be his favorite harmonic collaboration, which never fails to deliver. Overall, this is a beautiful album in every respect, which for the many Burton’s followers (yours truly included) delivers exactly what they love to hear and serves as an ideal closure of his long career, which enriched our life for so many years.

Updated: 16/06/2025Posted: 16/06/2025

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GARY BURTON ~ DREAMS SO REAL – MUSIC OF CARLA BLEY ECM 1072 (Barcode: 602517758308) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1975 Released: 2008 US vibraphonist / composer Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist is one of the pillars of American modern Jazz and his extraordinary legacy of recorded music includes a monumental body of work, spanning decades, styles and an incredible variety of sounds. On this very unique album, Burton and his quintet - which consists of two guitarists: Mick GoodrickFind albums by this artist (one of the greatest and sadly little known guitar virtuosi) and Pat MethenyFind albums by this artist, bassist Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist and drummer Bob MosesFind albums by this artist - play tribute to the great US composer Carla BleyFind albums by this artist. Bley´s compositions have been always a superb example of ingenuity and intelligence as much as deep lyricism and melodic perception. Stylistically in a universe of her own, Bley deserves a very special place on the pedestal of great 20th Century composers and this loving tribute is a proper example of the recognition of her talents. The presence of two electric guitarists on this album gives it a certain slightly Fusion touch, but definitely of the gentle sort, which suits the music perfectly. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 11/07/2025Posted:

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GARY BURTON ~ THE NEW QUARTET ECM 1030 (Barcode: 602567431152) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1973 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the debut album as a leader by American Jazz vibraphonist / composer Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with guitarist Mick GoodrickFind albums by this artist, bassist Abraham LaborielFind albums by this artist and drummer Harry BlazerFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, one of which is an original composition by Burton, two were British composer Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist, one was by British pianist / composer Gordon BeckFind albums by this artist and finally one each was by American musicians / composers Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist, Keith JarrettFind albums by this artist and Carly BleyFind albums by this artist, all of the above (except Beck) Burton cooperated with at some time in his career. This was the first album as a leader by Burton on the ECMFind albums on this label label, but he did release his debut coleader album with Chick Corea on ECM “Crystal SilenceFind albums with this title” earlier in 1973. The same year he recorder the legendary coleader album with Michael Gibbs, called “In The Public InterestFind albums with this title” (Goodrick plays on it), and soon after recorded another album with Gibbs for the ECM label, called “Seven Songs For Quartet and Chamber OrchestraFind albums with this title” (Goodrick also plays on it). All this explains a lot about the lineup and the material included on this album. Burton’s move to the European ECM label was largely influenced by his growing affinity towards European Jazz and its aesthetics, which were much closer to his personal taste in music than the stagnant American scene. His meeting with European musicians and composers opened a lot of new opportunities and horizons, and his connection with ECM lasted until mid-1980s, when ECM started to lose its ambitious direction. The music is of course absolutely gorgeous, from start to finish. The intimate dialogues between Burton and Goodrick are blood-curdling, and the somewhat mysterious atmospheric music is enthralling for the entire duration. Overall, this is a brilliant album, a must-have in any serious Jazz records collection and a highly document of Burton’s career in the early 1970s and his association with ECM. Goodrick’s guitar work is also exceptional and considering his rather limited discography, this is quite a gem.

Updated: 16/07/2025Posted: 12/07/2025

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FASOLI / GOODRICK / DANIELSSON / OXLEY ~ BODIES AZZURRA 1327 (Barcode: 8028980739323) ~ ITALY ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 1989 - 1990 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of an album by an international Jazz quartet led by Italian saxophonist / composer Claudio FasoliFind albums by this artist, with American guitarist Mick GoodrickFind albums by this artist, Swedish bassist Palle DanielssonFind albums by this artist and British drummer Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, all of which are original compositions by Fasoli. The music is a wonderful example of modern European Jazz, based on wonderful melodic themes and performed with a lot of Freedom and space for individual expression within the quartet setting. All four members of the quartet are true Masters of their instruments and have gained a lot of experience playing with top Jazz musicians for many years. Although Goodrick comes from the US, his approach to Jazz has always been closer to European Jazz that most of his compatriots, and his rapport with the three Europeans is completely natural and open-minded. The presence of Oxley is especially interesting here, both in the role of a “traditional” drummer and as a great innovator, playing avant-garde oriented parts, which by the time this album was recorded was his main area of interest. Any way one approaches his contributions here, those are absolutely stellar of course. Goodrick uses the guitar synthesizer in addition to electric guitar, which adds to the unique sound of the quartet. Danielsson is the absolute anchor for the music here and his brilliant pulsation keep the music afloat. Fasoli is excellent, as always, but his ability to weave the exquisite melodic themes is especially important herein to give the album a coherent direction. Overall, this is a little known gem, which deserves to be discovered, offering brilliant musicianship and highly advanced approach to the Jazz ensemble as a cooperative unit, able to make music that makes sense even when the traditional framework is almost completely abandoned. This is a great addition to any serious European Jazz record collection.

Updated: 24/06/2023Posted: 24/06/2023

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MICK GOODRICK ~ IN PAS(S)ING ECM 1139 (Barcode: 602567434610) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1978 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the debut album as a leader by American Jazz guitarist / composer Mick GoodrickFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with British saxophonist John SurmanFind albums by this artist and American rhythm section comprising of bassist Eddie GomezFind albums by this artist and drummer Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist. The album presents five tracks, four of which are original compositions by Goodrick and one is co-credited to the all quartet members. The album was recorded at the legendary Talent Studio in Oslo and engineered by no less legendary Jan Erik KongshaugFind albums by this artist, offering a sublime sound quality. Goodrick is one of the greatest unsung heroes of the Jazz guitar and although his solo recording output is rather limited, his contributions to dozens of albums by other Jazz Masters, like Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist, Charlie HadenFind albums by this artist, Jack DeJohnette and many European Jazz musicians, like Italian Claudio FasoliFind albums by this artist, British Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist and many others, are absolutely stunning. He was also recognized as one of the greatest Jazz Guitar educators. The music is beautifully melodic in falls perfectly into the ECMFind albums on this label mold of the 1970s, which brought the label its international recognition, before the label lost its focus. Personally I always considered it as one of the best albums in the ECM catalogue, not only thanks to Goodrick’s brilliant compositions and sublime guitar performances, but also as a result of Surman’s contributions, which are also absolutely gorgeous. Spiced with the Godly bass parts by Gomez, who is a true Magician, and DeJohnette’s heartfelt and elegant drumming, this album is a true marvel from start to finish. Overall, this is a marvelous album, by an Artist, who deserves a much wider recognition than that achieved during his lifetime. Goodrick sadly fell victim to the Covid pandemic and left us way too soon in 2022. But his music stays with us forever, and it is completely timeless!

Updated: 15/07/2025Posted: 11/07/2025

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