Mark Turner
tenor saxophone
In a career that spans two decades and encompasses a broad array of musical ventures, saxophonist Mark Turner has emerged as a towering presence in the jazz community. With a distinctive, personal tone, singular improvisational skills, and an innovative, challenging compositional approach, he has earned a reputation as one of jazz’s most original and influential musical forces. Born in 1965 in Ohio and raised in Southern California, Turner grew up surrounded by music with a lot of R&B, jazz, soul, and gospel playing in the house. He has released more than a dozen albums as leader and is also prolific as a sideman. He has recorded and toured with musicians as diverse as Jakob Bro, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Ed Simon, Enrico Rava, Kurt Rosenwinkel, David Virelles, Ethan Iverson, Baptiste Trotignon, and the SFJAZZ Collective. His latest recording is the 2022 critically acclaimed Return from the Stars, titled after Stanislav Lem’s science fiction novel, featuring Jason Palmer (trumpet), Joe Martin (bass), and Jonathan Pinson (drums), which followed Live at The Village Vanguard released in fall 2023 with the same quartet.