Vibraphone master Gary Burton has always had a gift ....

Vibraphone master Gary Burton has always had a gift for spotting young guitar talent. A renowned educator and the former dean of Berklee College of Music, where he enrolled as a student 50 years ago, Burton has hired aces like Larry Coryell, Pat Metheny and now a stunning find: 22-year-old Julian Lage (pronounced “lahj”). Profiled as a child in the 1997 documentary Jules at Eight, Lage first performed with Burton at age 12, then appeared during his teens on the Burton albums Generations and Next Generation. His playing was precocious, though not earth-shattering.

Photograph: Courtesy Ted Kurland Associates

Then Lage took off like a rocket. He scored a Grammy nomination for Sounding Point, a marvelously eclectic 2009 debut. He toured with violinist Mark O’Connor in a progressive string trio, displaying turn-on-a-dime harmonic command and a superior grasp of guitar styles from early hot jazz to neo-Americana. Forget his age: Lage is simply one of the finest players anywhere.

Meanwhile, Burton and Metheny kept in close touch: Quartet Live, Burton’s 2009 release, featured not only Metheny but also the guitarist’s drummer of choice, Antonio Sanchez. It was solid, even brilliant in places, but ultimately a version of something we’ve heard before. Burton’s New Quartet holds greater promise. Sanchez remains in the drum chair, while bassist Scott Colley takes over for longtime Burton colleague Steve Swallow. And Lage? His impeccable instincts and sparkling semiacoustic sound should again sit well with Burton’s finely honed lyricism.

Read more: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/music/89805/gary-burton-new-quartet-at-blue-note-concert-preview#ixzz12WyZwhAy

Gary Burton, One of the greatest vibe players ever, demonstrates his mallets, the M25's from Vic Firth. the idea behind his mallets is to achieve diferent Volume levels, but keep the same feel and tone.