Customer Reviews

Duster

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This one is a real gem.

Although a relatively meager quantity of music (33+ minutes), this was a unique, high-powered meeting of minds, with bassist Steve Swallow, guitarist Larry Coryell (relatively new to jazz at the time), and drummer Roy Haynes- always sounding young and exciting, melding into what I hoped in 1967 was a precursor of a genuinely new and exciting form of jazz fusion.

Instead, unfortunately, we wound up with 'Bitch's Brew', Weather Report, and you know the rest.

All the individuals on this CD went on with very distinguished careers (separately), but you will not find the same magic sense of discovery and exploration as on this work. Coryell's recent 'Spaces Revisited' probably comes closest.

As in all the greatest jazz recordings, both the compositions and the solos sound so perfect that they blend into a whole hugely greater than the sum of the parts: a genuinely continuous group song.

I've waited a long time for the re-release so I could replace my worn out LP (have gone through two of them). A real no-brainer if you're a fan of any of these players, or of mainstream jazz pushed into adventurous but at the same winningly lyrical realms.

All of Gary Burton's RCA albums are worthwhile. This one comes out a notch above the others however, slightly better tunes, especially General Mojo's Well Laid Plan, and the great Roy Haynes on drums. Very few albums sound like this one, and Burton quickly abandoned this sound. Appeals to rock and jazz listeners with it's compact song construction, tasteful and concise solos and an instrumental lineup like few others. You will not regret purchasing this one, don't concern yourself with the brief length. In fact, you'll find it bursting with ideas. I still can't believe no one has mined this further. Jazz rock without the funk. Trust this.

The album is a must for jazz enthusiasts, and also compatible with the conservative ears of folks in the easy-listening crowd. There are no thorny Coltranesque sequences. There are no lengthy "blowing sessions." Some of the pieces are quick paced, but not as driving and insistent as a typical be-bop piece. Gary Burton's music is adventuresome, but it will not alienate listeners who have unadventuresome ears.

BALLET starts with a short, jerking episode. The jerking episode is like the shifting of gears, shifting up, shifting down. The guitar vamps behind the vibes. There there is a stunning guitar solo. Larry Coryell's guitar playing sounds like Howard Roberts' playing. Bass solo. The piece ends with the same jerking sequence, reminding one of an industrial robot. FIVE STARS.

SWEET RAIN is slow, containing undulating waves of vibrophonic pastels. If Debussy had written jazz, it would have sounded like SWEET RAIN. The guitar solo is slow enough for any beginner to learn. FOUR STARS.

PORTSMOUTH is quick-paced. The tune is an excellent one and an original. The guitar vamps behind the vibes. Drum solo. The initial tune is repeated. FIVE STARS.

GENERAL MOJO is moderate paced, with Nashville overtones. Larry Coryell appears to be emulating a Nashville steel guitar. Bass solo. FOUR STARS.

ONE, TWO, 1, 2, 3, 4. is fast and starts with a guitar solo. Larry Coryell then urges feedback from the amplifier, invoking the rock'n'roll genre. The guitar solo then becomes a little silly. It consists in strings of fast notes, going up, going down, that any beginner with a couple of years' experience can put together. Vibe solo. TWO STARS.

SING ME SOFTLY is slow, staring with a guitar tune. The guitar tune is comprises of little, jabbing tunelets. Vibe solo. Then comes a swaying, swinging episode. The initial tune is repeated. FOUR STARS.

LITURGY is moderate paced. It sounds like normal, typical jazz, perhaps what one might expect from the combination of Milt Jackson and Joe Pass. FOUR STARS.

RESPONSE is another slow piece. It blankets the listener with sheets of bell-like sounds. This piece is like SWEET RAIN. THREE STARS.

I saw the Gary Burton Quartet in 1968, where Gary Burton opened for a little known folk-trio called "Cream." The show was at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Shortly thereafter, I bought the vinyl version of this album. Since that time, I have seen about 30 jazz performances at Yoshi's in Oakland, CA, Keystone Korner in San Francisco, CA, and elsewhere. The high point of my life was seeing Sonny Stitt's group perform, for an entire evening, inside a corner tavern somewhere in Milwaukee, WI, in early 1981. Would that I could live that evening all over again.

I first heard this album shortly after it came out in the late Sixties--on vinyl, of course. It was a revelation, and listening to it gave me goose bumps--still does. Magic happened on this session, from beginning to end, on many different levels. Like so many artistic endeavors born during that era, "Duster" is one, huge outside-the-box risk, all the musicians utterly vulnerable, utterly committed. One almost holds one's breath at the impossibly fragile thread of creativity that holds it all together. Yet it succeeds, and profoundly so. Some called it "fusion", but it isn't really-- no driving rock rhythms or funk--no special effects, no signal processing, no overdubbing or audio tricks (everything is essentially straight miked). Just something absolutely new and fresh musically, unlike anything that came before and, with the exception of the group's equally magical follow-up effort, "Lofty Fake Anagram", pretty much unlike anything after as well.

What makes this so special and different? The intimacy; the playful, unpretentious musicality; the achingly beautiful lyricism, jazz rhythms and chops freed to sing, to soar beyond any previous stereotypes of the genre. This is jazz that is not afraid to have the heart of a child. There is also a wonderful and delicate sense of balance, each instrument contributing, but sublimating itself to the whole.

And then there is that awed, coltish sense of wonder and the thrilling vibe that is created when great musicians are fully "on", at their peak, in perfect communication without words. I find the creative interplay between Burton and bassist Steve Swallow particularly inspired.

I think the ideal way to listen to this is quietly, late at night, alone or with a special friend or two. But however you do it, do listen.

I first heard "Duster" when it came out on vinyl. I was a college student and jazz dj on my college station. I've loved it for the last forty years. It was one of the first CDs I bought after getting my first CD player.

The sound is pure and intimate, and for the most part lyrical. Gary Burton's and Larry Coryell's relative youth make the beauty and subtlety of the playing all the more amazing. Lary Coryell's solo on "Sweet Rain," which you can listen to the beginning of on the page for the imported CD, is unutterably beautiful.

I've wanted to have this album on SACD or DVD-Audio for years, only to see it instead be allowed to go entirely out of print in this country. If I knew how to get this message to Gary Burton, I would.

Yes, it is still LP length - no bonus tracks - but a lot of the time that's all you need. If you, like "mossfam" below, like jazz-rock only when it resides at the jazz end of the spectrum, then have no fear with this disc. I find Larry Coryell unlistenable most of the time, especially when he's in charge. Here, as a sideman, he plays with uncommon restraint and taste. This is a lovely record.

I remember the day that this was released (on vinyl). Talk about a "paradigm shift"! Thought about Duster the other night and, *presto*, leave it to Amazon to have it!

I agree wholeheartedly with the other reviews here; this short, overlooked album is a classic, a jazz masterpiece. I bought the album when it first came out because, for all the lame reasons, I liked the cover art and the title. I listened to it obsessively for years, finally the album was stolen or misplaced, now I have it again thanks to Amazon.

Perhaps because the album and the music within is not easily categorized, it never received the attention it deserves. All the musicians are exceptional, but it is Coryell's guitar work that stands out for me; I grew up in Seattle and heard him play many times and have always thought he was a superb musician, but I prefer the disciplined style he used on this album to some of the later jazz-rock fusion work he did.

I have a rotating collection of CD's I play in my car while driving, and this one always comes back and every time I hear it it's like the first time again. I can think of very few other albums I can say that about.

In my opinion this is the best Gary Burton, though lofty fake anagram is quite good too. If you like the vibes this is for you. Every time I listen to this I am amazed that it was recorded in 1971. It is still fresh and remains one of my favorite cds of all time.