Gary Burton is an American jazz vibraphonist and educator. Born in 1943 and raised in Indiana, he began performing and recording while still in his teens. After early work with George Shearing and Stan Getz, he formed his own quartet in 1967 and developed a sound that joined jazz improvisation with elements of rock and contemporary composition.
Burton’s four-mallet approach expanded the vibraphone’s harmonic and melodic possibilities and influenced later generations of players. His recordings include work with Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Ralph Towner, Roy Haynes, and many other jazz musicians. His long-running duo with pianist Chick Corea became one of his best-known collaborations. Berklee’s current alumni profile identifies Burton as a seven-time Grammy Award recipient.
Education and academic leadership were a second major part of his career. Burton joined Berklee’s faculty in 1971 to teach percussion and improvisation, became Dean of Curriculum in 1985, and later served as Executive Vice President. Berklee records that he retired in 2004, ending a teaching and administrative career of more than three decades.
Although Burton is principally a vibraphonist rather than a marimba soloist, his place in this directory reflects the shared mallet-keyboard field. His performance practice, quartet writing, improvisational language, and four-mallet technique have all been studied by marimba and vibraphone players.