Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Jazz vibraphonist and music educator Gary Burton is host of the new weekly Sirius Satellite Radio music program, Artist’s Choice with Gary Burton, on channel 72, Pure Jazz.
Artist’s Choice with Gary Burton can be heard on Sirius Pure Jazz every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
“I became a fan of Sirius when I bought a new car a year ago,” said Burton. “Finally, I could hear what I wanted to hear, when I wanted to hear it. Now I couldn’t be more pleased to be joining the Sirius team as host of my own show.”
Burton, who emerged as a major jazz talent during the 1960s, brings a storied career and a unique perspective to Sirius jazz listeners. A self-taught vibraphonist with a unique four-mallet technique, he made his recording debut with country artist Hank Garland at age 17, performed with jazz greats George Shearing and Stan Getz, and, with guitarist Larry Coryell, formed one of the early jazz fusion groups in 1967.
Burton has worked with such luminaries as his protégé Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Chick Corea, Stephane Grappelli and Keith Jarrett, among others. He was awarded his first GRAMMY in 1972 for Best Jazz Solo Instrumental Performance for his album Alone At Last.
During the 1980s, Burton began recording for GRP Records, and landed atop the Billboard jazz chart with Metheny for their Reunion album. He won his fifth GRAMMY for his 1998 Concord release, Like Minds. In recent years, his work has explored tango music and classical themes, and his latest recording, featuring his new quintet, is titled Generations, which will be followed in April 2005 by Next Generation.
Burton has been recognized as an important music educator, and served for 33 years as professor and dean at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he was also Executive Vice President from 1996 to 2004. Burton recently stepped down from his leadership role at the college to concentrate on recording and working on his new Sirius radio show.
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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