Steve Turre
Encyclopedia
Steve Turre 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 Cuba
n 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.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
Reader's Poll for best trombonist.
He was raised in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
by Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
parents, and at first studied violin. He switched to trombone at age ten and later studied at University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
. In 1968 he played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
, in 1970 he recorded with Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, and in 1972 he toured with Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
. He has been the trombonist for the Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
band since 1985 and has taught jazz trombone at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
since 1988.
He is also noted for playing conch
Conch (musical instrument)
Conch, or conque, is a musical instrument, a wind instrument that is made from a seashell, the shell of one of several different kinds of very large sea snail...
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
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
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
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
). His largest shell, from the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
of Australia, has a range between the D and E below middle C
Middle C
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
, and was painted by a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n 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
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
, and is also a skilled player of the cowbell and Venezuelan maracas
Maracás
Maracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
.
He is married to the cellist Akua Dixon.
Discography
- 1987 Viewpoints And Vibrations (Stash)
- 1988 Fire And Ice (Stash)
- 1991 Right There (Antilles RecordsAntilles RecordsAntilles Records was an American record label that was a subsidiary of Island Records.Its jazz catalog is now managed by Verve Records.-Discography:*1001 Joanne Brackeen - Special Identity 1981*1002 Biréli Lagrène- Routes To Django 1980...
) - 1993 Sanctified Shells (Polygram)
- 1995 Rhythm Within (Antilles) with Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Pharoah SandersPharoah SandersPharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on... - 1997 Steve Turre (Verve RecordsVerve RecordsVerve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
) - 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 RecordsHighNote RecordsHighNote Records is an American record label based in New York City, specializing in jazz music.HighNote was founded by Joe Fields, who worked for Prestige Records as an executive in the 1960s and founded Muse Records in the 1970s. He co-founded HighNote and its sister label, Savant Records, in...
) - 2006 Keep Searchin (Highnote)
- 2008 Raibow People (Highnote)
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)