Vibraphone innovator Gary Burton leads a well-honed quartet at Blues Alley

Arguably the vibraphone's greatest innovator, Gary Burton and his four-mallet technique -- the "Burton grip" -- revolutionized the instrument's melodic and harmonic possibilities. Even so, the New Gary Burton Quartet is an extension of the vibes' percussive roots. The band (one of 21st-century jazz's finest) that took the stage Thursday night at Blues Alley for Burton's 70th-birthday tour was one comprehensive, well-honed rhythm instrument.