Burton has been viewed in the past as a rather dry fellow, but any previous imbalance in his work in favour of the cerebral and reflective is happily redressed with this superbly strident release.
His established policy of using other composers’ work is maintained, and viewed positively, this lends variety to his performances. Also typically, his choice of material is eclectic and respectful of tradition.
While Burton’s rejuvenation cannot be mistaken, a large part of the credit for the dynamism and beauty of this record must go to the gifted Makoto Ozone. His work is revelatory: as a soloist he reinterprets many of Tyner, Corea and Jarrett’s devices, adding no small degree of personal inspiration; he also composed one of the album’s prettiest tunes, the ballad I Need You Here.
Bright moments include, apart from any time Ozone touches the keyboard: Scofield’s The Beatles, which, while it doesn’t particularly evoke images of that popular quartet, nevertheless has a title which shows their importance to a generation of jazzmen; and Steve Swallow’s excellent Ladies In Mercedes, a vibrant 32-bar Latin tune with some fascinating and deceptive changes which give a great sense of forward motion.
The harsher and more angular themes belong to Carla Bley (Syndrome and Real Life Hits), while Ellington’s Fleurette is treated Latinately and doesn’t sound very Ellingtonian. Lukyanov’s Durachok is a mutant 12-bar blues.
It’s an album that will appeal to modernist and mainstreamer alike, and will win many new converts for Burton.
Discography
Syndrome; The Beatles; Fleurette Africaine; Ladies In Mercedes (26.04) – Real Life Hits; I Need You Here; Ivanushka Durachok (23.13)
Gary Burton (vibraharp); Makoto Ozone (p); Steve Swallow (b); Mike Hyman (d). Recorded Ludwigsburg, November 1984.
(ECM 1293)
