About Gary Burton
Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American retired jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. He developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be heralded as an innovator, and his sound and technique are widely imitated. He is also known for pioneering jazz fusion and popularizing the duet format in jazz, as well as being a major figure in music education from his 30 years teaching at the Berklee College of Music. == Biography == Burton was born in Anderson, Indiana, United States. Beginning with music at six years old, he mostly taught himself to play the marimba and vibraphone. He began studying piano at age sixteen while finishing high school at Princeton Community High School in Princeton, Indiana (1956–60). He has cited jazz pianist Bill Evans as the inspiration for his approach to the vibraphone. Burton attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1960–61, and the Stan Kenton Clinic at Indiana University in 1960. He studied with Herb Pomeroy and soon befriended composer and arranger Michael Gibbs.
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