I first discovered Gary Burton when, as a teenager, he roared onto the jazz scene as a sideman on a legendary recording by Nashville guitarist Hank Garland. This autobio is worthy of the great artist and teacher who produced it.
I have seen Gary Burton perform and have listened to him for decades and I found his book well worth reading.
"LEARNING TO LISTEN: THE JAZZ JOURNEY OF GARY BURTON" -reviewed by Anthony Smith 10/31/14 I realize I'm a bit late to the party, as the book was released in 2013, but having just voraciously devoured Learning to Listen: The Jazz Journey of Gary Burton, I feel compelled to offer a review... Many books have been written over the years about jazz greats, some by outside observers and some by the artists themselves.
The great vibraphonist Gary Burton offers an inside account of the jazz scene, the emerging jazz rock scene of the mid 1960s of which he was a very important contributor, while also giving us a glimpse into his own creative process as an improvising musician. I especially enjoyed the standalone profiles of various musicians that he worked with or was influenced by, and the chapters on George Shearing and Stan Getz are absolutely fascinating.
Been listening to Gary for 40 years. Excellent book on his upbringing and early career with Hank Garland, George Shearing and Stan Getz.
Gary Burton leaves nothing out in this autobiography and I found it an eager read. I highly recommend to jazz music lovers and musicians.
A fantastic read, especially for a jazz buff such as myself. From an extrarordinary musician.
From the first page this book gives a solid impression of an honest - and brave person who wants to reveal everything, not only about himself, also a lot of interesting details about people he met through his more than sixty year long career in top level modern jazz.
Great book. could not put it down after starting to read it.
I just finished reading Gary Burton's autobiography. Having recently interviewed him I now feel like I know the man and the legend as well as I could.
If you are a musician, aspiring musician, a music lover or a jazz lover in particular this is a must read. Gary spares no words.
This is one I was waiting for. An easy and excellent read.
I always knew Burton was one of the great American musicians. In some ways, he might also be one of the great American silent heros.
"I will freely admit that I have a kind of love/hate relationship with music." Gary Burton.
