Mark Turner (musician)

Mark Turner

Turner in 2010
Background information
Born November 10, 1965
Fairborn, Ohio, U.S.
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Saxophonist
Instruments Saxophone
Years active 1990s–present
Labels Warner Bros., ECM
Associated acts Kurt Rosenwinkel, Aaron Goldberg, David Binney, Billy Hart, Gilad Hekselman, SFJAZZ Collective

Mark Turner (born November 10, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist.

He is considered one of the most influential tenor saxophonists of his generation.[1]

Biography

Born in Fairborn, Ohio, and raised in the small Southern California town of Palos Verdes, Turner originally intended to become a commercial artist. In elementary school he played the clarinet, followed by the alto and tenor saxophones in high school. He attended California State University, Long Beach in the 1980s (playing in the jazz ensembles) and then transferred to and graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1990 before moving to New York. Turner worked at Tower Records in New York City for an extended period before working full-time as a jazz musician.[2]

In early November 2008 Turner injured two fingers on one of his hands with a power saw, but as of late February 2009 he was performing again with the Edward Simon Quartet at the Village Vanguard.

He is married to the psychiatrist and anthropologist, Dr. Helena Hansen.[3]

Style and influences

Turner's sound is reminiscent of that of Warne Marsh; he also has elements of John Coltrane in his playing. Turner has mentioned both Marsh and Coltrane as influences, and has used elements of both players' styles in his music.[4] Turner's range extends into the high altissimo register. His improvised lines tend to be harmonically and rhythmically convoluted while maintaining melodic coherence. His compositions often make use of repeated patterns, odd-metered time signatures, intervallic leaps, and a selective use of space.[5]

Musical associations

In September 2014, Turner released his first album as a leader since 2001 on ECM Records;[6] it features trumpeter Avishai Cohen, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Marcus Gilmore.[7] Turner is also a member of the trio Fly, which features himself, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Jeff Ballard.[8] Turner is a member of guitarist Gilad Hekselman's Quartet, and drummer Billy Hart's Quartet.[9] He has been featured extensively on records by guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, pianist Brad Mehldau saxophonist David Binney, and pianist Aaron Goldberg, among others.[10]

Gallery

Photos: Hreinn Gudlaugsson

Selected discography

As leader

Fly (band)

As sideman

With Ryan Kisor

With Jonny King

With Jimmy Smith

With Edward Simon

With Aaron Goldberg

With Jon Gordon

With George Colligan

With Seamus Blake

With Guillermo Klein

With Chris Cheek

With Lee Konitz

With Joshua Redman

With Matthias Lupri

With Kurt Rosenwinkel

With OAM Trio

With Jaleel Shaw

With Omer Avital

With Billy Hart

With David Binney

With Mikkel Ploug

With Ferenc Nemeth

With Baptiste Trotignon

With Enrico Rava

With Diego Barber

With Jochen Rueckert

With Gilad Hekselman (2011–2013)

With SF Jazz Collective (SFJAZZ, 2010–2011)

With Ben Van Gelder

With Stefano Bollani

With Yelena Eckemoff featuring George Mraz, Joe Locke & Billy Hart

With Tom Harrell

References

  1. ↑ Jarenwattananon, Patrick. "Mark Turner Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard". Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  2. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Mark Turner Biography". All Music. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  3. ↑ Leonard, Devin (June 26, 2009). "Mark Turner Escapes the Shadow of John Coltrane". New York Observer. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Jazz Weekly magazine interview by Fred Jung". Jazzweekly.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  5. ↑ Winters, Kelly. "Mark Turner". musicianguide. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  6. ↑ Whitehead, Kevin. "In Tenor Saxophonist Mark Turner's New Album, The Music Unfolds Like A Narrative". NPR. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ Chinen, Nate. "Follow the Leader; He’s Deep in the Pack Mark Turner Quartet at the Village Vanguard". New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  8. ↑ Collar, Matt. "Fly". All Music. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  9. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "All Our Reasons". All Music. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  10. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Mark Turner". All Music. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Yam Yam". Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ "Two Tenor Ballads". Crisscrossjazz.com. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  14. ↑ "In Tenor Saxophonist Mark Turner's New Album, The Music Unfolds Like A Narrative". NPR. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Lee Konitz super audio CD SACD Parallels USA SACD240 CHESKY Audiophile 2002". ebay. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015.

Reviews

External links