Gary Burton & Makoto Ozone – Live At Montreux
2002 (DTS)
Picture: C+ Sound: B Extras: C- Concert: B
Over and
over again on DVD, nobody delivers better Jazz concerts than Gary Burton and he
is always showing up with a guest.
Previously, we looked at two formidable teamings with Chick Corea,
including one of the sonically finest DVD concerts to date with Chick Corea
& Gary Burton – Live At Montreux 1997, but he was just as strong five
years later with Makoto Ozone, returning to Montreux in 2002. Eagle Eye has now followed up the former
volume with Gary Burton & Makoto
Ozone – Live At Montreux 2002.
This
time, the idea was to do a tribute to one of the most underrated of all
instruments, the xylophone. Used in
everything from classical to Jazz to Pop and Rock, it remains one of the most
underutilized of all traditional instruments despite its use and resurfacing in
hit records and soundtrack work. Ozone
covers piano and Burton xylophone as they play the following:
1)
Afro Blues
2) Bags’ Groove
3) Hole In The Wall
4) Opus Half
5) Le Tombeau De Couperin
6) Sonata K20
7) Excursions For Piano, Opus 20, Number 1
8) Opus 32, Prelude VIII
9) Milonga
10) Concerto In F
11) Bienvenidos Al Mundo
Burton
just loves music and as both a musician and music literate who is able to
express his love and joy more clearly than most, discussing and playing Lionel
Hampton, Red Norvo, Milt Jackson, Cal Tjader and many others. After seeing and hearing so (too?) many Jazz
releases, Burton’s have been particularly distinguished by having the feeling
of “being there” as and after you take one in.
His judgment is superior in what he says and does, but Ozone should also
get much credit for having as much talent early on and as much chemistry as
Corea did with Burton in previous outings.
It may run only 71 minutes, but it is a very intense set that never
quits in its energy and entertainment value, which is why it is one of the best
concert DVDs of the year.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image was shot in digital High Definition and
has good color, but in what may be the weak link in the disc, has some detail
and Video Black issues. Otherwise, I
enjoyed the way it was shot and it is a pleasure to see. Like the Corea/Burton Montreux
1997 disc, this one is has audio in
PCM 16bit/48kHz 2.0 Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, with the DTS once
again offering the best sonics. Though
it is not as amazing as the 1997 disc due to some slight compression in the
mixes, DTS is still the preferred playback option and the combination is
solid. There are no extras, though a
booklet inside the DVD case offers a great essay about the artists.
To read
about more exceptional Gary Burton DVD concerts, try these links:
Chick
Corea/Gary Burton – Interaction
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1906/Chick+Corea/Gary+Burton+-+Interaction
Chick Corea & Gary Burton – Live At Montreux 1997
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3884/Chick+Corea+&+Gary+Burton+–+Live+At+Montreux+1997+(DTS)
- Nicholas Sheffo
