Gary Burton is a true pioneer of the vibraphone, having developed a four-mallet pianistic style that he has used to fuel all manner of cross-style collaborations. In jazz-fusion, he is seen as a master, trailblazing the duet format in exploratory jazz alongside musicians from Stan Getz and Quincy Jones to k.d. Lang and Astor Piazzolla. As an educator, he has taught at Berklee College of Music for three decades, where he came across the young Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone.
Ozone gained international renown by the age of just 23 when Burton plucked him from higher education and invited him to join his quartet. Since then he has gone on to play with the likes of Chick Corea and Christian McBride. Together, they recorded the album Face to Face just a year before this concert at the Munich Summer Piano Festival. Here, they cover tracks by the great Thelonious Monk and Burton's Argentine collaborator, Astor Piazzolla. The most beautiful moments, though, come perhaps with Ozone's own compositions, which are sprightly, delicate and sprawling, forming a perfect base for the "Burton's Grip" technique pioneered by the young pianist's mentor-turned-equal.
