Gary Burton - Good Vibes (1970) [2012 Japan 24-bit Remaster]

Gary Burton hits a sweet electric funky sound here – a great groove that really makes the album stand out from most of his other work! The support Burton gets is a big reason for the greatness of the date – as he's working in a group that includes Eric Gale on guitar, Richard Tee on piano and organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums.

The album's got a bit of trippiness to it – kind of in the style of some of Herbie Mann's funky production work for the Vortex label – and a few cuts have producer Joel Dorn working with Arif Mardin on the cuts, giving them a more expansive sound that pushes Burton's playing nicely. The vibes have a dark chromatic quality to them that sounds great next to the sweeter playing of the funky player – and the record's filled with nice numbers like "Vibrafinger", "Las Vegas Tango", "Boston Marathon", and "Leroy The Magician".


Tracks:

1. Vibrafinger
2. Las Vegas Tango
3. Boston Marathon
4. Pain In My Heart
5. Leroy The Magician
6. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)

Personnel:

Gary Burton - vibraphone, piano, organ
Eric Gale, Jerry Hahn, Sam Brown - guitar
Richard Tee - piano, organ
Steve Swallow - bass, electric bass
Chuck Rainey - electric bass
Bernard Purdie, Bill Lavorgna - drums, percussion