Tier 2 · legacy legendfull biography
Steve Turre
Person · male · United States · Omaha · born 1948 · recording since 1987
American jazz trombonist
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Also known as Steve Touré · スティーブ・トゥーレ
Timeline
26 events▣ Album 24◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1940s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: Viewpoints and Vibrations
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography660 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1378547157
Biography
Stephen Johnson Turre ( tur-AY; born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using seashells as instruments, as well as a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For sixty-three years, Turre has been active in jazz, rock, and Latin jazz – in live venues, recording studios, television, and cinema production.
He has recorded over 20 albums as a bandleader, and appeared on many more as a contributor or sideman. As a studio musician, Turre is among the most prolific living jazz trombonists in the world. He has been a member of the Saturday Night Live Band since 1985.
Early life
Turre is one of five children born to James Boles Turre (1921–1997) and Carmen Marie (née Johnson). His father was of Northern Italian ancestry and his mother was of Mexican ancestry. His grandfather, Ernest Turre, was a founder of the San Francisco 49ers with Tony Morabito. His four siblings are Michael James Turre (b. 1946), Suzanne Turre (b. 1952), Michele Anita Turre (b. 1953), and Peter Joseph Turre (b. 1957). Michael and Peter were musicians – saxophonist/woodwinds and drummer, respectively.
Turre was raised in Lafayette, California (San Francisco Bay area). 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. 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 trumpeter Hannibal Peterson.
Turre has been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey.
Career highlights
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 trombonist for the Saturday Night Live Band since 1985 and has taught jazz trombone at the Manhattan School of Music since 1988.
For fifty-six years (since 1970), Turre has been an exponent of seashells – conch in particular – as serious musical instruments. According to Turre, encouragement came from Rahsaan Roland Kirk who was known for using a vast array of saxophones, flutes, and other instruments. Turre has a collection of shells of various sizes, most of them 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. He also leads the 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. Turre has had a long experience with Latin jazz and is a skilled player of the cowbell and Venezuelan maracas.
Turre has been a member of the Juilliard School faculty for twenty years – since 2008, and previously from 2001 to 2003.
Turre earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst through the University Without Walls in 1980 with a focus in Afro-American Music and Jazz.
Personal life
Turre has been married three times. His first wife was Susan J. Beard, whom he married in 1970 in Dallas, Texas, and divorced in 1972 in San Francisco. His second wife was cellist Akua Dixon (born 1948) from 1978 to 2012, with whom he had two children: Andromeda Turre, a jazz vocalist and composer, and Orion Turre, a jazz drummer. His present wife is Pamela Turre, whom he married on September 24, 2017.
Awards and honors
Best Trombonist, DownBeat Readers' Poll, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 10 | 58.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 25 | 88.9th |
| Studio albums | 24 | 97.3th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 26 | 95.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 37 | 76.5th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (25 release groups · 24 studio albums)
Albums · 24
1987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:01:12
1Lament6:132In a Sentimental Mood7:133All Blues6:124Viewpoint5:095Mercury6:506Midnight Montuno (Descarga)6:157Who’s Kiddin’? (Tailgate)4:008A Handful of Fives4:269Spirits Up Above6:4810Steppin’ Into Beauty8:061988 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:07:30
1Fire and Ice5:352Juanita7:253When Lights Are Low5:394Shorty7:205Andromeda9:456You Are the Sunshine of My Life9:257Well, You Needn't3:548I Thought About You9:159Mood Indigo4:4010E.D.4:321989 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 50:07
1The New Breed6:222V.O.6:113Red, Black & Green Blues6:334Trance Dance6:435Perpetual Groove5:046Especially for You7:177Koncepts5:028Victory6:551991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 57:45
1Ginseng People6:462Woody & Bu8:123Unfinished Rooms6:034Echoes of Harlem4:195Right There8:536Duke's Mountain7:417Sanyas7:588Descarga De Turre7:531993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 57:29
1Exploration5:132Gumbo5:413African Shells - First Interlude - Strength1:174Macho (Para Machito)7:065African Shells - Second Interlude - The Dream4:156Beautiful India11:227Toreador8:258African Shells - Third Interlude - Happiness2:129Sanctified Shells4:3110Spirit Man7:271995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:08:45
1Funky -T12:582Morning8:563Since I Fell for You5:394Rhythm Within8:185Twilight Dreams3:226All Blues9:057Montuno Caracol3:008Body and Soul8:289African Shuffle8:591997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:06:31
1In a Sentimental Mood8:262The Emperor12:473Let It Go8:024Ayer Lo Vi Llorar5:425Coastin' With Bobby8:436Steve's Blues6:387Inocencia5:448Mongo 'n' McCoy10:291999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:01:16
1The Lotus Flower5:522Chairman of the Board6:403The Inflated Tear6:554The Organ Grinder6:285Passion for Peace2:036Sposin'6:487The Fragrance of Love6:228Blackfoot7:039Goodbye7:2310Shorty5:422000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:09:02
1Ray's Collard Greens6:382Misty5:243Duke Rays5:224The Way You Look Tonight7:055Ellington Medley: Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me / Five O'Clock Drag8:016Something for John5:367In the Spur of the Moment9:188Sueños de La Habana5:469Claudia (With String Quartet)9:2510Descarga Ahora6:272001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 59:28
1Back in the Day6:392Puente of Soul6:103Stompin’ at the Savoy8:124The Nearness of You8:185Hallelujah I Love Her So5:006Eric the Great8:557E.J.5:118Dewey’s Dance11:032003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:00:26
1Overdrive3:482Wee Dot6:503Lament4:534One 4 J5:075Mr. Johnson4:586Short Cake5:417Kelo6:228What Is This Thing Called Love?5:229El Camino Real5:0810Enigma5:5111Minor Blues6:262004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 50:20
1Three for the Festival3:022One for Kirk5:033Medley: Serenade to a Cuckoo / Bright Moments9:224Stepping Into Beauty4:435The Spirits Up Above4:376Hand Full of Five4:487E.D.4:148Dorthaan's Walk5:589Volunteered Slavery8:332006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks
1Prince2Yeah3Munasterio 'e Santa Chiara4Our Love Is Here to Stay5Fire and Ice6Enigma7Fungi Mama8Blackfoot9Important Life2006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:03:29
1Sanyas9:132Faded Beauty6:253Thandiwa5:444Reconciliation6:505Time Off4:036My Funny Valentine5:417Easy Now7:458Steppin’ Out4:539Da Blues5:4410Keep Searchin’7:112008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:05:01
1Rainbow People8:382Forward Vision5:593Brother Ray9:044Groove Blues5:495Midnight in Madrid8:476Cleopatra's Needle4:127Search for Peace8:158Segment5:289Para El Comandante8:49A Jazz Christmas Celebration for Banfi
2009 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 52:20
1Let It Snow6:052Santa Baby5:033White Christmas6:114Santa Claus6:065Christmas Song5:526Oh Christmas Tree3:367Winter Wonderland5:598Silent Night7:109We Three Kings6:182010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 56:30
1Light Within5:222Duke Rays7:233Speak to Me of Love, Speak to Me of Truth4:494Dance of the Gazelles8:525Delicious and Delightful5:106Tenderly6:457Sunala Nobala5:418Blackfoot6:089Ray's Collard Greens6:202012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:07:31
1Woody's Delight6:462Something for Sweets7:073In Retrospect8:024Luna4:075Annette's for Sure6:266Adios Mi Amigo8:387Manny's Mambo7:208For Woody8:179Brother Bob10:482013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:08:09
1Slide's Ride6:282Blue & Brown4:213Settegast Strut9:424Bird Bones5:505Sunset8:2064 & 97:057Fuller Beauty6:028Shorter Bu6:099Julian's Blues6:4510Daylight7:272015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:09:55
1Bu6:392Lover Man6:283Funky Thing5:494Trayvon's Blues7:065It's Too Late Now9:276With a Song in My Heart6:157S Wonderful5:308Peace7:509Nangadef5:4510Spiritman - All Blues9:062016 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:00:56
1Taylor Made6:222Quietude5:433JoCo Blue5:174Coffee Pot5:095Reflections6:546Mellow D for R.C.5:567Colors for the Masters5:528When Sunny Gets Blue7:209United5:0510Corcovado7:182018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 58:53
1The Very Thought of You5:182September in the Rain6:163No Regrets4:324Carolyn (In the Morning)6:235Never Let Me Go6:066Sachiko6:177Freedom Park, SA4:148The Shadow of Your Smile3:309Time Will Tell5:2710Yardbird Suite6:5711Danny Boy3:532022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:10:18
1Planting the Ceed8:472Dinner with Duke6:583Blue Smoke6:354Smoke Gets in Your Eyes4:555Don D.5:016Pharoah's Dance8:307Flower Power8:308Good People6:549Sweet Dreams6:0410Resistance8:042024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 49:15
1Sanyas13:192All the Things You Are10:223Wishful Thinking9:164Mr. Kenyatta9:535These Foolish Things (Bonus Track)6:25
Album · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | This Is Latin JazzSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 1:05:561Liberty8:09 2Tales From the Wall6:57 3Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White8:21 4Alfonsina y el mar5:15 5Frenesi8:41 6Estampas6:09 7Firm Roots7:04 8Peer Magic15:20 | Live | 2 March 2021 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Steve Turre head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 10 | 58.3th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 25 | 88.9th |
| Studio albums | 24 | 97.3th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 26 | 95.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 37 | 76.5th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mingus Big Band(band) | — | present | |
| The Dizzy Gillespie United Nation All Star Orchestra(band) | — | present | |
| Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy(band) | — | present | |
| Dizzy Gillespie-Phil Woods All Stars(band) | — | present | |
| Roland Kirk Sextet(band) | — | present | percussion |
| Roland Kirk Sextet(band) | — | present | trombone |
| Lester Bowie’s New York Organ Ensemble(band) | — | present | trombone |
| Steve Turre Quartet(band) | — | present | |
| The Saturday Night Live Band(band) | 1985 | present | trombone |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steve_Turre_in_2010.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1751f9e8-e0b5-4d3c-99b6-d93e0e1f4895discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1751f9e8-e0b5-4d3c-99b6-d93e0e1f4895core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1935960genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1935960seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Turrebiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Turre
Why this artist is in the database
- List of jazz musicians
Tier rule: genre canon: jazz
Image: Tom Beetz · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q1935960 · MusicBrainz: 1751f9e8-e0b5-4d3c-99b6-d93e0e1f4895
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