Eager to follow up on the success of the Gary Burton and Chick Corea duet album “Crystal Silence,” ECM label head Manfred Eicher induced the master vibraphonist Burton to record another record for ECM with his new quartet. The sessions took place over two days, March 5th and 6th, 1973. The resulting record was named simply Gary Burton: The New Quartet and was released later in the year.

Burton had recently relocated from New York City to Boston and his “new quartet” was made up of musicians he had recruited in the hub city. Guitarist Michael Goodrick had studied at the Berklee College of Music and would go on to a career mostly as an educator. His students included Bill Frisell, John Scofield and Mike Stern. The Mexico City-born bassist Abraham Laboriel has gone on to a career as one of the most in-demand session bassists of all time, and drummer Harry Blazer held the whole thing together with what has been called his “unrelenting dedication to the moment.”

Here is a link to a cut from the album:

"OPEN YOUR EYES, YOU CAN FLY"