Burton Duster

This two-fer brings together two key Gary Burton Quartet works of the the late '60s. After 1967's Duster, the Quartet went on to collaborate with composer Carla Bley on A Genuine Tong Funeral, a quirky, mordant jazz "opera" that owes as much to Kurt Weill as to Charles Mingus. Besides Burton, guitarist Larry Coryell, and bassist Steve Swallow, the free-spirited drummer Bob Moses makes his appearnce, having replaced veteran Roy Haynes. Other Bley stalwarts include saxophonists Gato Barbieri and Steve Lacy, who pop in and out of the vivid cartoon-like musical narrative.
The shaggy Moses is key to the musical feel of Lofty Fake Anagram, the official follow-up to the outstanding Duster. With the exception of Duke Ellington's "Fleurette Africaine" however, the writing isn't quite as strong as on the previous date's…

During his years at Atlantic, Burton became a major player on vibes featuring a cooler, less blues-oriented technique that didn't sacrifice passion or individuality, and he also was among the earliest jazz musicians to incorporate other elements into their style without losing their improvisational outlook. Both areas are displayed on this 14-cut anthology presenting two separate Burton albums. The first five cuts were an LP teaming him with pianist Keith Jarrett; it proved a most intriguing match, with Jarrett reigning in his excesses, playing with flair, and never failing to click with Burton. The other nine songs were on the LP Throb, in which Burton continued the jazz-cum-rock and country experimentation that marked other LPs like Tennessee Firebird and Duster.