Customer Reviews

Reunion

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've owned this CD for a number of years, and I never tire of it.

The assemblage here of Burton, Pat Metheny, Mitch Forman, Peter Erskine, and Will Lee is a perfect match for the material. The selections are smartly written and expertly played, and at the same time extremely listenable and accessible.

I've often played this CD for friends and family who are not into jazz, and they always love it. This is a different sort of "smooth jazz" than what the so-labeled radio stations feed us. Strong writing, great improvisation, and superb production really combine well here.

A CD that will appeal to both serious jazz fans and smooth-jazz ears.

Gary Burton is arguably the greatest vibraphonist ever. Where others (Hampton, Jackson) have been great stylists, Burton revolutionized the way the instrument is played. His collaborations with Corea and Metheny have set duet standards, and this reunion album reminds us how creatively powerful Burton and Metheny are together. Having just heard them together again at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago on June 15th 2006 I can testify that their musical potency and dialogue is only getting stronger. I have my fingers crossed for a "Re-reunion" album!

Pat Metheny played with vibist Gary Burton as a young guy from Berklee, and this reunion pairs them on a program of pleasant improvisations. It sounds a lot like a mid-career Pat Metheny album, which is to say pretty good, indeed.

This is a true priviliged recording that includes a very talented cast and a magnificent set of mesmerizing compositions. The musical support counted with the wondrous guitar of Pat Metheny.

Burton is perhaps the greatest soloist that this instrument has known.

Pat Metheny is my favorite guitarist and anywhere I can find him I try to get his work. I was especially surprised at how fast I got the CD. I haven't heard Gary Burton's vibraphone before so that added sound especially caught my ears.

This recording is the ultimate in Metheny-Burton collaborations. Burton is an incredibly good musician...totally underrated, and Metheny may be less underrated but one of the greatest jazz musicians ever. And kudos to Will Lee and Mitch Foreman. I love this recording....it's one of my desert island cds.

REUNION HAS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST RELEASES OF WORK FROM GARY BURTON.HIS INTERACTION WITH PAT METHENY IS OUTSTANDING.FROM THE OPENING TUNE "AUTUMN" TO THE LAST TUNE "QUICK AND RUNNING" YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!

I bought this on vinyl when it first came out in 1990. I didn't know who Gary Burton was at that time but seeing Pat Metheny's name on the front of the album assured me of two things: (1) He'd be a talent worth checking out as Metheny doesn't play with just anybody and (2) This album in particular, would be one that I would enjoy.

I was right on both counts. I've bought many Gary Burton albums since this one and they're all great. This remains my firm favourite though. Burton's vibraphone and marimba blend perfectly with Metheny's guitar and the support from Mitchel Forman on piano & keyboards, Will Lee on bass and the incredible Peter Erskine on drums is, to these ears, simply unbeatable. Every track's a winner, including "Panama" which I will admit, took me a while longer to warm to. Three of the songs are by Metheny, three by Polo Orti, three by my main man Vince Mendoza, two by Forman and the last ("Panama", as it happens), by Paul Meyers.

My vinyl version ended with the beautiful "Tiempos Felice (Happy Times)" and there are times when I feel this was always the perfect note to end the album on, and there are other times when I'm glad for the bonus CD track, "Quick And Running". It depends on my mood on the day.

Personal highlights include Metheny's solo on "Autumn", Erskine's drum patterns and Forman's solo (& key change) on "Reunion", "House On The Hill", the sparkling "Chairs And Children" with its amazing chord progression between the verse and chorus, Metheny's solos and Erskine's drums patterns on "The Chief"...

Oh, who am I kidding. The whole CD is a highlight.

This is an amazing recording. No Gary Burton fan should be without it. No Pat Metheny fan should be without it. No jazz lover should be without it.

Although there is nothing "out" about this release, the coherency and interplay between these supremely gifted muscicians more than makes up for any lack of avant approaches. To be honest there is something simple and beautiful to these compositions- a few by the great Vince Mendoza - that brings you into an inviting musical space. There is planty of flash and flair in the solos but they all seem to fit perectly within the setting. Even Pat's "clams" sound good. Recommended.

This is a piece often neglected by Metheny fans, it is a great collaboration piece with other amazing artists.