For his first album for the Concord jazz imprint, vibraphonist
Gary Burton goes back: back to some of the most enduring compositions in the jazz lexicon, constructing the program on
Departure completely from jazz standards, except for "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs" (the theme from the television show Frasier). Along with guitarist
John Scofield, drummer
Peter Erskine, pianist
Fred Hersch, and bassist
John Patitucci,
Burton also returns here to the quicksilver, porcelain sound of the
George Shearing quintet,
Burton's first job after graduating from the Berklee College of Music. For the uninitiated,
Departure is a worthwhile introduction to
Burton's style on vibes, with his strong sense of swing swaddled in a sound that's most often elegant yet sometimes surprisingly funky.
Scofield really shines here, too.
Departure is also a great way to discover less-known compositions by some of the best-known composers and performers in the history of jazz, including
Duke Ellington ("Depk," from his "Far East Suite"),
Chick Corea ("Japanese Waltz"), and
Horace Silver ("Ecaroh," which is "Horace" spelled backwards), as well as
Mel Tormé ("Born to Be Blue"), and "If I Were a Bell," a staple that rang throughout in the 1950s repertoire of
Miles Davis and whose title chimes harmoniously with the sonorities of
Burton's vibes. ~ Chris Slawecki