One of the world's preeminent jazz innovators, trombonist and seashellist Steve Turre, has consistently won both polls in JazzTimes, Down Beat, and Jazziz magazines for Best Trombone and for Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist (shells). Turre grew up in the San Francisco Bay area where he absorbed daily doses of mariachi, blues, and jazz. While attending Sacramento State University, he joined the Escovedo Brothers salsa band, which began his career-long involvement with that genre. To say that Steve Turre is a Latin jazz artist would be misleading, however.

In 1972, Ray Charles hired him – an important career booster. Later, trumpeter Woody Shaw recruited him into Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. After his tenure with Blakey, Turre worked with musicians from the jazz, Latin, and pop worlds, including Dexter Gordon, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, Horace Silver, and most importantly, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who introduced him to the seashell as an instrument. After mastering the craft of creating instruments out of these mollusk castaways, he taught many of his colleagues (predominantly trombonists) to play them in order to create a conch choir (Sanctified Shells).  Through the years, Turre has managed to incorporate seashells into most performances.

Steve Turre’s recent projects have been One4J, a tribute to the late trombone master, J. J. Johnson; The Spirits Up Above, dedicated to Kirk, and most recently on High Note, Keep Searchin’. He continues to evolve as a performing musician and arranger, while commanding all musical genres his distinct brand of jazz. Steve always keeps one foot in the past and one in the future.

On this date, Turre will have his regular working New York band featuring the venerable pianist Ronnie Matthews, bassist Gerald Cannon, and drummer Dion Parson. (more)