Mark Turner Quartet

Mark Turner (saxophone) Jason Palmer (trumpet), Joe Martin (bass), Jonathan Pinson (drums)

Saxophonist Mark Turner has established himself as a prominent figure on the jazz scene over the course of a two-decade career that has spanned a wide range of musical endeavors. With his distinctive personal tone, unique improvisational skills, and innovative, sophisticated compositional approach, he has earned a far-reaching reputation as one of jazz's most original and influential musical forces. Turner was born in Ohio in 1965 and grew up in Southern California. "There was always a lot of R&B, jazz, soul and gospel playing at home," he recalls. "This was in the early '70s, when integration and civil rights were just becoming popular, and my mother and stepfather were part of the first wave of young black professionals and intellectuals moving to the affluent white suburbs. They and their friends went to live jazz concerts all the time. That fascinated me, as did the whole history of jazz and African-American culture and the music itself. Turner is now firmly entrenched in that jazz tradition/culture and has not only released over a dozen albums as a bandleader, but is also extremely prolific as a sideman. He has recorded and toured with musicians such as Jakob Bro, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Ed Simon, Enrico Rava, Kurt Rosenwinkel, David Virreles, Ethan Iverson, Baptiste Trotignon and the SFJazz Collective. His latest release, the critically acclaimed 2022 album Return from the Stars (named after the science fiction novel by Stanislav Lem), gives the quartet plenty of room to flourish. The album is as rousing as it is thoughtful in its expression. The solos develop organically from the arrangements, and under the often impressive interplay of Turner's tenor saxophone and Jason Palmer's trumpet, the rhythm section with Joe Martin (bass) and Jonathan Pinson (drums) can develop freely.