Learning to Listen: The Jazz Journey of Gary Burton: An Autobiography

by Gary Burton

(Berklee Press). Winner "Best Book of the Year" 2014 award from the Jazz Journalists Association. In Learning to Listen , Gary Burton shares his 50 years of experiences at the top of the jazz scene. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Burton made his first recordings at age 17, has toured and recorded with a who's who of famous jazz names, and is one of only a few openly gay musicians in jazz. Burton is a true innovator, both as a performer and an educator. His autobiography is one of the most personal and insightful jazz books ever written.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Stuart Balcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a young vibist at the University of N. Colorado in the summer of 1971. I had previously met Gary as the head of the NW Jazz Festival in Bremerton WA when we brought him in as an adjudicator. So, while at UNC I heard that he was performing at the Senate Lounge in Denver, so I drove down and we hung out after his gig. He laid a Berklee catalog on me, saying that he was to begin teaching there that Fall, so I uprooted, moved to Boston, and studied with him. I did the four years in three, then joined the faculty for another four.

It was very interesting to read this book, especially since I experienced a lot of what he talks about first hand (including his wedding to Catherine). However, the best part for me was learning how he got started, his early gigs and experiences, and how he learned the business side of the Music Business, which many musicians don't master.

The greatest thing I learned from Gary besides improvisation and musicality was interconnectivity in melody or harmony. These ideas can be projected out into everyday life as well, and I do know that anytime I strayed from that was where my greatest mistakes have occurred. This all was very evident to me as I read this book, because Gary's linearity runs uninterrupted from Page One to the end. Yes, doors opened along the way and life-altering opportunities came to him, but he never deviated from the path that eventually led him to being one of the finest musicians in the world.

Gary is quite frank about his personal life, and his honesty is to be commended. Also, there are lots of anecdotes about the famous names he has encountered and/or worked with during his long career (Miles Davis, Samuel Barber, Stan Getz, George Shearing, Duke Ellington, Johnny Rivers, to name a few). This is a must-read for anyone interested in jazz in particular, and music in general.

[Vaggelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το όνομα τού Gary Burton είναι γραμμένο με χρυσά γράμματα στην ιστορία τήςJazz.Και δεν είναι τυχαίο: όχι μόνο άλλαξε ριζικά τον τρόπο που παίζεται τό βιμπράφωνο, αλλά κατάφερε να ηχογραφήσει και μερικά από τα πιο γνωστά καί κλασικά άλμπουμς όλων τών εποχών στην Jazz

Το γράψιμο καθηλώνει με την ειλικρίνεια καί την πληθώρα των ανέκδοτων ιστοριών διασήμων μουσικών/προσωπικοτήτων πού παρελαύνουν στίς 350 περίπου σελίδες του βιβλίου.
Δεν μπορώ να περιγράψω τον πλούτο τής γνώσης πού κληρονομούμε, με τίς περιγραφές γιγάντων τής Jazz, όπως οι Ellington,Getz,, Corea, Metheny κ.α.

Εκτός από τα παραπάνω υπάρχει μία λεπτομερής περιγραφή τής προσωπικής του αποδοχής της ομοφυλοφιλίας τού, κάτι που όπως τους περισσότερους ομοφυλόφιλους/ες άντρες καί γυναίκες ,τον ταλαιπώρησε πολύ.

Άγνωστες πτυχές τής ζωής τού όπως τα προβληματα με την υγεία τού καί τούς αποτυχημένους straight γάμους του, παρουσιάζονται με τόσο αφοπλιστικα αληθινό τρόπο πού συγκινεί βαθύτατα τον αναγνώστη, κάνοντας τον να νιώθει σαν προσωπικός φίλος του συγγραφέα..

Σε γενικές γραμμές, έχουμε να κάνουμε με μια εξαιρετική αυτοβιογραφία ενός πολύ σημαντικού καινοτόμου κατά την άποψη μου, που την καθιστά απαραίτητη σέ όλους τούς λάτρεις της Jazz μουσικής καί τής τέχνης γενικότερα.

5/5

[Sean Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read number of musician biographies and this was one of the better ones. Burton had a truly great and fairly interesting career, working with a really extensive array of other musicians and composers. I have been a fan of his music for many years and also admire him as an educator. I admit though that I got motivated to read this because I heard someone say that he bad-mouthed Metheny and Larry Coryell. This turned out not to be true. Although Burton worked with quite a number of musicians with drug and other problems, other than being honest about these things, he didn't truly have anything bad to say about anybody with one exception. (Joe Henderson, who by many accounts fully deserves it). Not heavy on artistic philosophy really but still I feel I got things out of it as a musician. His career is interesting enough without wild stories and dirt but there are certainly stories. Anyway, its a good one, if his story is of interest to you, I definitely recommend it.

[Dave Gerhart]

I am huge fan of Gary Burton and his music. I have almost every album he has recorded. I really enjoyed the honesty and candor in which Gary told this story. I haven't read a lot of autobiographies of musicians (maybe because there aren't many) but I would recommend this to anyone in the music industry and especially if you play vibes. I read this as part of a book club I host called BookChattr (www.drumchattr.com). I have written some posts and created a playlist of the albums Gary talks about in this book. Check them out.

[Peter De Backer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read for every jazzfan. Laughed out loud several times. Very honest, full of revealing anecdotes. Did you ever listen to Crystal silence and loved it? Then read this book. Warm thank you to mr. Burton!

[Silvio111 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a fan of Gary Burton since the early '70s, around the time he started recording with Chick Corea and also, his one album with Keith Jarrett.

What I did not realize was that I had already heard his vibraphone on Tim Hardin's song, Misty Roses, while I was still in high school in the late '60s. I also did not realize that I heard his vibes on records by Bruce Cockburn and even k.d. lang!!! He really got around.

This book reveals a musician who began as a child prodigy around the age of 10 who had the luck to live in a small Indiana town where, unbelievably, there was actually a vibraphone teacher (a rarity in those days in any town.) His early experience with playing professionally in his family band (formed by him to enable him to work), and later his good luck in meeting most of the leading jazz musicians, who were impressed with his virtuosity, paved the way for his career in which he met and/or worked with quite a slate of excellent jazz musicians.

In spite of being on the road for upwards of 50 years with a variety of players who had drug addictions, Burton seems to have dodged that bullet. He also juggled the late-night lifestyle of a travelling musician with decades of responsibility as a teacher and administrator (eventually vice-president) of Berklee College (the preeminent place for jazz musicians in the U.S. to study), as well as two marriages, two children, and an enduring love for music. Throughout his lifetime he mentored and discovered young musicians and never seems to have lost his zest for forging new collaborations.

He claims to be shy and an introvert, yet his ability to connect with diverse musicians was his true gift.

It is usually a risk to read books about a public figure you admire and even cherish. This book was no exception. I came away from it with an absolute awe for Burton's musicianship and professionalism in the face of a population that is very vulnerable to drug abuse, infidelity and despair--none of which seems to afflicted him. But there were subtle signs of something else.

Gary Burton spent his entire career working with male jazz musicians. The only exception, and it is barely an exception, was the way he met his second wife, Catherine Goldwyn. He notes that she was one of his students at Berklee in his " improvisation class" and then proceeds to talk about how they dated, married, bought houses, had children, etc. He never mentions what instrument she studied. He never describes playing any music with her. He basically plucks her from Berklee and it is implied that she dropped out after they married (not sure about that.)

Besides that, every single one of the probably hundreds of musicians he describes playing with or sharing a festival stage with or meeting at a club are men. Men, men, men. Were there REALLY no female musicians in the jazz scene between 1970 and 2013 when he wrote this memoir? It is really just a reflection on the state of jazz, I suppose.

Another issue that I detected was his jazz snobbery. I suppose I cannot blame him for this; he was immersed in jazz his entire child, adolescent and adult life. But he makes a few remarks that are so tone deaf, I just shook my head. For one thing, he criticizes vocalists for not "having a real instrument." Tell that to Pavorotti or Ella Fitzgerald! He is patronizing toward people who play by ear. Describing his collaboration, late in life, with the Argentinian hero of tango music, Astor Piazzola, he remarks that before he he met him, being ignorant of tango (which is the national music of Argentina), he thought it was just "folk music" and he had no idea it was complex (and therefore, worthy of his respect.) To his credit, once he began learning about it and playing, he discovered his mistake.

Nobody is perfect and I suppose it is to his credit that he could be honest. One thing he is honest about is his process of coming out as gay. However, there were a few moments with that too--he remarked that he sometimes wondered if Duke Ellington might be gay A) because of his loyalty to Billy Strayhorn and B) because he dressed so originally.

One of his most mean-spirited comments revealed his dislike of Astrud Gilberto ("Girl from Ipanema). He did not think she was attractive; he was sure she was not a good singer; and he resented how his concert tour producer compelled him to accept her into the act to let her sing her hit. He relates that she flirted with every man she met, and told Stan Getz that she thought Burton must be gay because he was the only man who did not come on to her. Whether or not these characterizations are true, or just a symptom of how many jazz instrumentalists have scant respect for vocalists, I still found it hilarious.

Regardless of all the above, Gary Burton has always been a stunning talent who has made beautiful music. I wish he had written a bit more about his collaboration with the (recently late) Chick Corea, but he has nothing but good to say about him; they appear to have been kindred spirits.

This book was very compelling and inspiring.

[Michael Hayes]

This book is a good example why never to read memoirs. The selective memory is amazing here. Especially when many to challenge the validity are dead. Mr. Burton suggests he had long unbroken contacts with the mentioned and featured musicians here for many years. That is simply untrue. Pat Metheny quit his band in 1975 and they did not talk until 1993 when Pat approached him when they played Montreaux backstage on the same bill. Terry Gross on NPR had just "outed" Burton as gay on the air on her show "Fresh Air". Pat suggested the "Reunion" album-notably, and admirably- to protect his mentor and friend from his fear his career would be ruined. Truth is Stranger than Fiction. But, it ended well. Nice!

[JDK1962 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read on the jazz community from 1960s forward. My entry ramp to jazz was ECM back in the late 1970s, so this was right up my street. I also appreciated the level of honesty: I wasn't aware of Stan Getz's issues, but anyone with ears knew that Astrud Gilberto couldn't sing, and I did enjoy having someone with a musical background finally call it out.

[John George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very good. A man in search of his identity in music and life. You got to hide your life away!

[Darek Asanowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! I couldn't put it down.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an autographed copy

[GLF (Seeing better than ever!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I discovered (or should that be encountered) Burton's music and playing in the early 70s when he toured Australia. After seeing him playing vibes solo and in a group context on TV I began buying his then recent recordings. Some years later I discovered some of his earlier mid 60s recordings and marvelled at how good (and ahead of their time) they were.

Burton talks about his early career playing with George Shearing and Stan Getz before deciding to form his own groups. In the book also Burton sings the praises of various other musicians he has worked with such as Chick Corea, Steve Swallow and Pat Metheny.

He also talks about his marriages, career as an educator/administrator at Berklee. Burton has continued to provide himself with musical challenges to this day which have met with varying reactions from his fans, audiences and critics.

Myths abound about Burton's practice (or lack of practice) methods. And this book goes someway to providing an insight into how Burton views practice and what his methods are. But when you are blessed with perfect pitch and a seemingly wonderful memory the norm of extended hours of practice used by many musicians would be overkill. More tellingly Burton provides an insight into his control and editing of his "subconscious" playing ability.

Burton has done much to prove the vibraphone (vibraharp) is more than a novelty instrument and that Jazz works well within a wide variety of influences. He has proven himself to be a great and successful interpreter of other people's compositions complete with an innate ability to connect with his audience.

Gary Burton spent many years writing (or thinking about writing) his autobiography. But after reading it, you have to wonder why it took so long to write, as its so easy to read. Highly recommended.

[Alex C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely. For me it could have easily been twice as long. More about Stan Getz, George Shearing, road trips, what makes great music, and the life of a musician. The book is a well put together narrative and it's made me want to explore more of his music. What more could one ask for? As I said, a little more about everything!
The first jazz record I ever bought was Gary Burton's Duster. I've always enjoyed his music but after reading this realized I've missed large portions of it. I suppose that says a lot about jazz, how little credit the musicians get, and how under the radar most of them truly are. After all the years of Grammy nominations and thousands of gigs and tours how is it more people don't seem to know him? Perhaps they do and it's just that I've been living under a rock, not listening to the right radio stations, or watching the right tv shows. I never remember seeing him in Texas where I grew up. We hunted the record stores for his releases. Now with the Internet and MP3 online stores it will be much easier to find his music.
I enjoyed his honesty and it was pretty eye opening about his early years. Even with his level of musicianship and enormous luck and support he still had to work hard to establish himself as a leader and get his first band off the ground. I felt he downplayed his leadership and would have liked to have read more about the different sides of the music business. Still it's a great overview of his life and career... And the book could have been much longer.
.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first jazz concert by a major figure I attended was by the Gary Burton Quartet, when I was about 17. It was an amazing evening, and I've been a fan ever since. So when I saw this on my friend Rob's shelves and asked him about it, he replied that Burton was not a great writer, but the facts are there.

That sums it up pretty well. The very talented Burton has had a remarkable career, and any fan would find this book worth reading. I doubt it's compelling enough to enthrall anyone who is not already a Gary Burton fan, though; Burton was level-headed enough from an early age to avoid Charlie Parker-like drama, for the most part. The major internal conflict Burton recounts is his long struggle to realize and accept that he's gay, and he doesn't overplay the story. And two years in the quartet of the unpredictable saxophonist Stan Getz provided a lifetime's worth of drama.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Gary Burton's first album around 1970 when I was a high school percussion student and he was a new young player. It inspired me to learn to play the vibraphone well. Fortunately, I had a rented vibraphone and a good private teacher and I learning to play a few 4 mallet arrangements fairly well for a high school kid. I've continued to follow Gary's career and music and so I was pleased when his autobiography came out. I was doubly pleased when I started reading it and found it engaging and very well written. I enjoyed reading the behind the scenes aspects of the music business and also the personality quirks of many of the artists that Gary worked with over the years. A really great book for anyone interested in the music business.

[Scott Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a refreshing autobiography of an incredibly talented guy. He went on the road with George Shering and Stan Getz when he was around 20. Recorded over 65 albums, played with all the major jazz legends from Grapelli to Mingus. Yet the book is very honest and humble. He is always very complimentary about his colleagues and forgiving of their faults. This is not an "as told to" book. It is straight from the heart (and he has had 6 heart surgeries). A really enjoyable read. My only gripe is that 2/3rds of the book covers his early career (first 10-12 years from 1962-1972 or so) and I am more familiar with his career since he teamed up with Chic Corea. Great book.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be sure to read the chapter "Understanding the Creative a Process" where Burton describes how he communicates to his "inner player" in images. Practical advice for any performer.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic if you're interested in the author, but it is written in a simple, conversational style, and doesn't go into as much depth as I might've liked. Still, an enjoyable read.