Steve Turre
| Steve Turre | |
|---|---|
 L to R: Big Sam Williams, Jeff Albert, Steve Turre, and Kirk Joseph |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | September 12, 1948 |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, Arranger, Educator, Trombonist |
| Instruments | Trombone, conch shells |
| Labels | Verve, Telarc, HighNote |
| Associated acts | Sanctified Shells, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Carlos Santana, Ray Charles |
| Website | SteveTurre.com |
Steve Turre (born September 12, 1948 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist.
He was raised in San Francisco, California by Mexican American parents, and at first studied violin. He switched to trombone at age ten and later studied at University of North Texas. In 1968 he played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, in 1970 he recorded with Carlos Santana, and in 1972 he toured with Ray Charles. He has been the trombonist for the Saturday Night Live band since 1985 and has taught jazz trombone at the Manhattan School of Music since 1988.
He is also noted for playing conch and other seashells as musical instruments, which he has done since 1970. Kirk encouraged his interest in using seashells as a lip-reed instrument. Turre has a collection of shells of various sizes, which he has picked up during his travels in the Caribbean and elsewhere. The shells have their mouthpieces carefully cut and are tuned to specific pitches. When playing them as a soloist he frequently switches between shells, as each is limited in its register (the smallest shells, for example, have a practical register of only a fifth). His largest shell, from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, has a range between the D and E below middle C, and was painted by a Cuban artist. Turre also leads "Sanctified Shells," which is a "shell choir" made up of brass players who double on seashell (using shells from Turre's collection, which he loans out for rehearsals and performances). The group released its first, eponymous album in 1993.
He has had a long experience with Latin jazz, and is also a skilled player of the cowbell and Venezuelan maracas.
He is married to the cellist Akua Dixon.
[edit] Discography
- 1987 Viewpoints And Vibrations (Stash)
- 1988 Fire And Ice (Stash)
- 1991 Right There (Antilles Records)
- 1993 Sanctified Shells (Polygram)
- 1995 Rhythm Within (Antilles) with Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders
- 1997 Steve Turre (Verve Records)
- 1999 In The Spur Of The Moment (Telarc Records)
- 1999 Lotus Flower (Polygram)
- 2000 TNT (Telarc)
- 2003 One4J: Paying Homage to J.J. Johnson (Telarc)
- 2004 The Spirits Up Above (HighNote Records)
- 2006 Keep Searchin' (Highnote)
- 2008 Raibow People (Highnote)
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2010) |
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Steve Turre interview
- Steve Turre biography
- Steve Turre biography page from Manhattan School of Music site
- All Music bio
- BBC Radio 2
- Review of Sanctified Shells
- NPR story about trombone bands (2003)
- 1948 births
- Living people
- American jazz trombonists
- Jazz trombonists
- Conch players
- Manhattan School of Music faculty
- People from Omaha, Nebraska
- American musicians of Mexican descent
- University of North Texas College of Music alumni
- Verve Records artists
- Telarc Records artists
- Antilles Records artists
- HighNote Records artists
