Steve Turre – Performance at the Jazz Bakery
Steve Turre Quartet
Enchants Jazz Bakery Audience
Location: The Jazz Bakery
by Paula Edelstein
Steve Turre is one of the most innovative jazz artists on the scene today and if you ever have the opportunity to see his show live, then I suggest you do so without hesitation. His performance at The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, California on August 18th, 2000, was by far one of the best shows we’ve seen this year. Steve played selections from his new Telarc Jazz release, IN THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT, and received a standing ovation for his great works written for jazz trombone and shells.
Accompanied by the veteran master Buster Williams on acoustic bass, piano whiz Stephen Scott and the young drummer, Jaron Israel, Steve opened with, “Ray’s Collard Greens.” The maestro dug into the song’s blues groove with his trombone and shells and later told the delighted audience how the song was based on Ray Charles’ love of collard greens! He is amazing in his ability to blow two shells at once and obtain the various pitches and tones from them on such great songs. Turre displayed his masterful “art of the plunger” on “Misty” and delighted the audience with his Ellington style of trombone grace. The muted sounds captivated the audience as we sat mesmerized by his seemingly effortless playing. “Claudia” remains a beautiful song, with or without the string arrangement and was beautifully played by Stephen Smith. Buster Williams is rock solid but gentle as the rhythmic spirit that drew the audience together for this great performance.
The wide array of shells used by Steve Turre on “In The Spur of the Moment” was another set to behold. The shells come in all shapes, tones, sizes and colors of the rainbow and echoed his talents brilliantly. Turre took his audience on a technically precise and elegant musical adventure lifting us to the heights set by the force of his musical personality. The set closer left each patron astounded by the depth of his trombone and shell virtuosity. It was definitely a privilege to see the great Steve Turre, one of the major trombone influences in all of jazz and blues, express the many sides of his musical persona in a quartet setting. Great show and one you shouldn’t miss. Consider this your special invitation to keep in touch with Steve Turre and check out his performance schedule at Telarc Records.
