PLAYING IT FORWARD [:90] RUFFIN: NOW A JAZZ MOMENT Banksy under VETERAN SAXOPHONIST STAN GETZ HIRED VIBRAPHONIST GARY BURTON WHEN HE WAS JUST 21-YEARS-OLD. 50 YEARS ON, BURTON’S A 2016 NEA JAZZ MASTER AND COMMITTED TO MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION. BURTON: I felt like a learned about the business, as well as about the music from Stan. It tied in with my teaching as well. Soon, I was teaching students, and in some cases hiring them when they graduated to be in my bands. I find young players and not always, but sometimes, I can just extrapolate where they're going to be 10 years from now. I can hear it in what they're playing. I can just see it. At that point, I want to be involved. I want to encourage them, I want to help them, I want to share in it and play with them. That's been true with Pat [Matheny], with John Schofield, with Makoto Ozone, with Julian Lage these days….Antonio Sanchez, my favorite drummer in the whole jazz world these days. Common Ground up (drumming) BURTON: We have a big responsibility, frankly, to pass on our experience to the next generation who are going to be carrying this on into the future of jazz. Excerpt of “Banksy” composed by Julian Lage, used by permission of Julian Lage Music [BMI] and “Common Ground” composed by Antonio Sanchez and used by permission of Greedy Silence Music, both performed by The New Gary Burton Quartet from the album, Common Ground, used courtesy of Mack Avenue Records.