2004 · Album
Generations
Recorded September 2003 · Concord Jazz · Released: April 13, 2004
Five Musicians Playing at Different Ages
Burton has the rare knack of making others play their best, especially a 16-year-old guitarist.
The vibraphone sits in the middle of the sound here, warm and precise, trading space with a guitar that sounds impossibly mature for a teenager. There's no rush. The rhythm section — James Genus on bass and Clarence Penn on drums — locks in tight but never pushes, letting Julian Lage's lines breathe and Makoto Ozone's piano comps land where they need to. This is Burton back in a quintet after years of duets, and you can hear him settling in, his four-mallet touch bright but never dominating.
The album's real story is the age gap. Burton was 61 when this was recorded in September 2003; Ozone, an earlier Burton discovery, was 43. Lage was 16 and playing with an assurance that shouldn't exist at that age. Dave Gelly of The Guardian noted that Lage "knits his lines into the group fabric with assurance and produces beautifully rounded solos." This isn't a showcase for the kid — it's a working band where the younger players happen to be exceptional.
Generations arrived in April 2004 on Concord Jazz, a title that acknowledges what's plainly audible: Burton doing what he's done throughout his career, finding young talent and creating space for it to develop. The Scotsman gave it four stars. It's not a landmark recording, but it's a solid, unshowy demonstration of how a mature ensemble should sound.
