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Gary Burton & Makoto Ozone
The Regatta Bar in Cambridge

		Gary Burton came east from Indiana, worked with George Shearing and Stan Getz, and was the first vibraphonist to play with four mallets. In the 1970s, Burton and pianist Chick Corea made several albums with vibes and piano: Crystal Silence, Duet and the double live album In Concert, Zurich, October 28, 1979. They pioneered the vibes/piano duet sound that we celebrate on this JazzSet with Burton and Makoto Ozone.
Burton on NPR Photo: Tim Owens

Monk's Influence (RealAudio)
Gary describes the influence of Thelonious Monk on his sound.

A jazz prodigy from Kobe, Japan, Makoto is a few decades younger than Gary. He came to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music, where Gary has long been on the faculty. First, Makoto was heavily into ragtime. Then he decided to become the fastest player in the world. He wanted to sound just like Oscar Peterson. Makoto admits that finding his own creativity scared him.

		One evening, Makoto was playing background music at a faculty reception. The spotlight wasn't on him, so he relaxed and showed his true colors. Burton noticed and Makoto remembers that Gary said to him, "So, Makoto, you can play piano after all." With Gary's dry humor and Makoto's quick smile, they're a good team.
Makato Ozone

Burton and Ozone released an album together in March 2002 titled Virtuosi, and JazzSet Host Dee Dee Bridgewater recently performed with them in Moscow -- she says the Russians loved them!

The Regattabar in Cambridge has live jazz five nights a week, with Boston talent on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and international names on the weekends.

SONG LIST
"The Night Has 1,000 Eyes (Young)
"Airmail Special" (Christian)
"Afro Blue" (Santamaria)
"Move" (Best)
"Django" (Lewis)
"Laura's Dream" (Piazzola)
"My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers/Hart)

RESOURCES