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 Mark Turner (born November
10, 1965) is a jazz saxophonist
and clarinetist with several recordings to his credit.
Born in
Fairborn, Ohio, and raised in Southern
California, 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 graduated 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.
Mark Turner's sound is reminiscent of that of Warne Marsh, in that he often produces
a somewhat dry, woody tone. 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 without resorting to mimicry. Turner's
range extends seamlessly
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.
Mark Turner
has regularly collaborated
with Kurt Rosenwinkel,
Larry Grenadier, and Jeff Ballard, and has formed
various collectives that
include these musicians (M.T.B. and prominently,
FLY). He has also played
with the influential
Dave Holland Big Band. In 2003 Turner collaborated with alto saxophonist Gary Foster in a special
concert billed as "Mark Turner and Friends".
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