Gary Burton & Friends - Departure

Gary Burton, John Scofield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Concord Records
• ASIN: B0000006QP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,041 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Jazz > Jazz Jam Bands

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burton does standards!, July 19, 2008

By 

Olukayode Balogun (Leeds, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gary Burton & Friends - Departure (Audio CD)

Vibes player Gary Burton is one of my all-time favourite jazz musicians but a couple of things mark this particular 1997 project apart. First, there's the very thrilling cast Burton pulled together for it; no doubt the inspiration for the "& Friends" part of the billing: Peter Erskine on drums, John Patitucci on bass, Fred Hersch on piano and, as I was particularly gleeful to see, John Scofield on guitar.

The second thing is the choice of songs; a departure that probably inspired the album title. For the first time in (reportedly) about 50-odd albums, apart from one song by Chick Corea, "Japanese Waltz", and another by Bruce Miller & Daryl Phinessee, "Tossed Salads And Scrambled Eggs" (the theme from the hit sitcom "Frasier"), Burton has decided to do an album of classic standards. These are songs that have been covered by anyone from Nat King Cole to Sarah Vaughan to Frank Sinatra and it's wall-to-wall class. This is, after all, a slice of the best in American songwriting.

I still have my favourites though: the album opener, the marching "September Song" by Maxwell Anderson & Kurt Weill; the shuffling "Poinciana" by Nat Simon & Buddy Bernier, (a doppelganger of the Ahmad Jamal 1958 version except this one has been opened up for multiple solos); the winding 'Arab-spiced' tune "Depk" by Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn; "Tenderly" by Jack Lawrence & Walter Gross, (one of my favourite standards of all time - I'm particularly partial to the versions by Ella Fitzgerald and Natalie Cole).

Then there's the typically wonderful aforementioned Chick Corea song and the "Frasier" tune, (I'm a huge fan of the show and regularly watch reruns) and also, "Born To Be Blue" by Robert Wells & Mel Torme, made famous for me by Nancy Wilson and then more recently, by Grant Green.

But really, it's great music all the way through, with some awesome solos by Scofield, Hersch and of course, Burton himself. The album is produced by Burton and arranged by him and Tommy Kamp. Well worth checking out.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding straight-ahead music, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gary Burton & Friends - Departure (Audio CD)

Very listenable, music with a George Shearing brilliance. One of the best new recordings I have heard in a long time. When we have friends over and are looking for a good recording that everyone will like, this is it. Very cool, and I hope Gary does more like it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have CD..., June 21, 2009

By 

Sebring (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gary Burton & Friends - Departure (Audio CD)

If you buy this CD only for Burton's stunning version of Poinciana- it's a bargain. Everything else is icing on the cake. Tenderly and Tossed salad and scrambled eggs are superb. I recommend this CD as a "must have" essential.