24 Quotes by Gary Burton

I was surprised when I finally moved to Boston and the East Coast, to discover that there weren’t that many vibraphone players around. And I was the only one playing with four mallets.

Most people learn to improvise on their own, listening to records, endless hours of noodling on their instrument in the bedroom with all their spare time. That’s traditionally how people learn.

It keeps me in touch with younger musicians who are constantly saying, ‘Have you heard this new artist, or this new guitar player?’ It keeps you reaching.

I’ve made more than 50 records with a wide range of music. I’ve often veered to check something out.

It hasn’t been hard getting nominated, but winning it is another thing. The competition is tough.

But if you listen to great piano players, both classical and jazz, there's a huge range of dynamics and colors and emotional expression that's possible with the instrument.