Good Vibes: Virtuoso Gary Burton

Just last week, Gary Burton set up his vibraphone and performed a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR in Washington. Burton is 70 years old now, but his flying four-mallet technique is still dazzling to watch and hear.

Burton has been playing the vibraphone for more than half a century with some of the biggest names in jazz — Stan Getz, Chick Corea, Larry Coryell — and he's known just about everyone else, from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis.

Burton was a pioneer of jazz-rock fusion. Over the course of his long career, he's been a mentor to younger players, including Pat Metheny. He also taught for more than 30 years and became a Dean at Berklee College of Music here in Boston, where he'll be performing tomorrow night with The New Gary Burton Quartet.

Along with his new album, Guided Tour, Burton has just published a memoir. It's called Learning to Listen: The Jazz Journey of Gary Burton.

Gary Burton, GRAMMY-winning jazz vibraphonist.