Biography All Music GuideWikipedia
All Music Guide:
One of the finest trombonists of the 1980s and '90s, Steve Turre also introduced the conch shells to jazz. After a brief period on violin, he switched to trombone when he was ten. Turre worked locally from age 13, played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk off and on from 1968, recorded with Santana in 1970, and in 1972 toured with Ray Charles. Turre had many diverse musical experiences in the '70s including tours with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (both in 1973), an opportunity to play trombone and electric bass regularly with Chico Hamilton (1974-1976), and recording with Woody Shaw and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Kirk inspired Turre to play exotic shells, and his ability to get a wide range of clear tones is quite impressive. After that time, Turre toured with McCoy Tyner, Dexter Gordon, Slide Hampton, Poncho Sanchez, Hilton Ruiz, and Tito Puente, among others. In 1987, he joined Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra and he also played regularly with Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, the Leaders, and the Timeless All-Stars. Turre performed with his Sanctified Shells (a group featuring four trombonists doubling on shells, trumpeter E.J. Allen, bass, drums, and several percussionists) at the 1995 Monterey Jazz Festival and has recorded as a leader for Stash, Antilles, Verve, and Telarc. Rainbow People, recorded in 2007 at Knoop Studios in New Jersey, appeared in 2008 from Highnote Records. Delicious and Delightful followed in 2010. In early 2012, Turre realized his longstanding ambition to cut a tribute to the late Woody Shaw, whose road and recording bands he had played with for eight years, from 1981-1989. The album, Woody's Delight, featured the talents of alternating trumpets players Wallace Roney, Jon Faddis, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, and Claudio Roditi; it also introduced a new star on the horn, 23-year-old Freddie Hendrix.
Wikipedia:
Steve Turre (né Stephen Johnson Turre; born 12 September 1948 Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist, a pioneering musical seashell virtuoso, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level who, for forty-nine years, has been active in jazz, rock, and Latin jazz — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production. As a studio musician, Turre is among the most prolific living jazz trombonist in the world. As a member of a television orchestra, this is Turre's twenty-ninth year as trombonist with the Saturday Night Live Band.
Growing up [edit]
Turre was raised in Lafayette, California (San Francisco Bay area). His father was of Sicilian ancestry and his mother was of Mexican ancestry. He began playing trombone at age ten, during his fourth grade in school. In his early teens, he played in a band with his elder brother, Michael James Turre (born 1946), a saxophonist. Although he entered California State University, Sacramento, on a football scholarship, he studied music theory there for two years before transferring to the University of North Texas College of Music, where he studied from 1968 to 1969 and played in a band led by Hannibal Peterson.
Professional career [edit]
In 1968, Turre 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.
Turre 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.
Turre has been a member of the Juilliard faculty since 2008, and was previously on the faculty from 2001 to 2003.
Awards [edit]
In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist.
Family [edit]
Turre was married to cellist Akua Dixon (born 1948) from 1978 to 2012, with whom he had two children. He was formerly married (1970 in Dallas, Texas) to and divorced (1972 in San Francisco) from Susan J. Beard.
Steve Turre is one of four children born to the marriage of James Boles Turre (1921–1997) and Carmen Marie (née Johnson). He has two brothers — Michael James Turre (born 1946) and Peter Joseph Turre (born 1957) — are musicians, saxophone-woodwinds and drums, respectively. He also has a sister, Michele Anita Turre (born 1953).
Recording career [edit]
The Jazz Discography database lists him as having appeared on 235 jazz recording sessions from 1969 to 2011. As leader, he has recorded over 31 sessions from 1986 to 2011. As sideman, composer, and arranger, he has recorded with the following artist from 1969 to 2011 (in order of first listing with the artist):
North TexasJerry FisherRahsaan Roland KirkArt Blakey And The Jazz MessengersWoody ShawChico HamiltonRyo KawasakiCedar WaltonSlide HamptonJerry GonzalezArchie SheppPharoah SandersTerumasa HinoDexter GordonDeadlineLester BowieCarmen LundyJames NewtonJack WalrathHilton RuizDaniel PonceRalph MooreMcCoy TynerBob StewartLou RawlsRobin EubanksDizzy GillespieFred WesleyArt Ensemble of ChicagoArt Ensemble of ChicagoLarry GalesRicky FordDon BradenCecil BridgewaterCharlie SepúlvedaJohnny GriffinDon GrolnickBobby WatsonAntonio HartVanessa RubinDave ValentinFreddy ColeCarl AllenDee Dee BridgewaterThe Carnegie Hall Jazz BandChristian McBrideRegina CarterTito PuenteJohn ScofieldHenry ButlerMax RoachPhil RanelinBenny GolsonTom HarrellHorace SilverCarol SloaneKenny BurrellJ.J. JohnsonEastwood After HoursAll-Stars Y AmigosSwing SummitRon LevyMichael DavisAbsolute TromboneMingus Big BandLew Del GattoStefon HarrisYoron IsraelTerence BlanchardMonty AlexanderRay BarrettoEtta JonesEddie AllenNick RolfeDavid "Fathead" NewmanFabio MorgeraJam MiamiAndy BeyNaima ShamborguerRenee RosnesPamela LussMonnette SudlerChembo CornielEarth Jazz AgentsT.K. BlueJohn FarnsworthFrank WessJohn SantosMarion HaydenPeppe MerollaChicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble
