Steve Turre at Jazz Live, Lyceum Theatre: 2009
Steve Turre represents jazz trombone's continuation from its bebop and hard bop foundations through contemporary practice. His resume includes work with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dizzy Gillespie, and countless others spanning five decades. At Jazz Live, he demonstrated why he's remained essential voice on his instrument.
Turre's trombone playing combines technical facility with deep swing feel. His tone is warm and full, his articulation clear, and his improvisational vocabulary draws on entire jazz trombone tradition from J.J. Johnson through contemporary approaches. He plays changes fluently while maintaining melodic sensibility that keeps solos accessible.
What distinguishes Turre, though, is his pioneering work with conch shells as musical instruments. Yes, seashells. He's developed technique for playing jazz on various sizes of shells, creating sounds that range from horn-like to uniquely organic. This could be gimmick, but Turre approaches shells seriously, using them for genuine musical expression rather than mere novelty.
Watching him switch between trombone and shells mid-performance demonstrated versatility and creativity. The shells added textural variety and demonstrated jazz's capacity for incorporating unconventional instruments when approached with musicality and skill.
The Lyceum's intimate stage allowed audiences to appreciate technical details that larger venues might obscure. You could see his breath control, his slide precision, and the physical technique required for both trombone and shell playing.
Turre's ensemble included piano, bass, and drums in standard jazz quartet format. His leadership balanced showcasing his own playing with creating space for band members to contribute. Good bandleaders understand that supporting others elevates entire performance.
His repertoire draws from jazz standards, bebop compositions, Latin jazz (he's worked extensively with Latin musicians), and original material. The variety keeps performances engaging while demonstrating jazz tradition's breadth.
Steve Turre at Jazz Live showed living jazz tradition performed by musician who learned from masters and continues passing that knowledge forward. His combination of traditional excellence and innovative shell work demonstrated how jazz musicians can honor history while exploring new possibilities.
For audiences wanting hard bop and post-bop trombone played at highest level, with added dimension of unconventional instrumentation approached seriously, Turre delivered completely.