Bruce Turner facts for kids

Bruce Turner (born 5 July 1922 – died 28 November 1993) was a talented English jazz musician. He played the saxophone and clarinet, and he was also a bandleader, meaning he led his own music groups.

Bruce Turner's Early Life and Music

Bruce Turner was born in a place called Saltburn, England. He went to school at Dulwich College. When he was a schoolboy, he started learning to play the clarinet. Later, in 1943, while he was serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he began playing the alto saxophone.

After the war, Bruce played with a musician named Freddy Randall from 1948 to 1953. He even worked on a famous ship called the Queen Mary, playing in a dance band. In 1950, he briefly studied music in New York City with a famous jazz saxophonist, Lee Konitz.

Joining Humphrey Lyttelton and Leading His Own Band

Bruce Turner joined another well-known jazz musician, Humphrey Lyttelton, from 1953 to 1957. At first, some fans of Lyttelton's traditional jazz style weren't sure about Bruce's more modern sound. At one concert, some fans even held up a banner that said "Go Home Dirty Bopper!" This was because Bruce's style was a bit different from what they were used to.

After leaving Lyttelton's band, Bruce started his own group called the Jump Band. This band played from 1957 to 1965. They even appeared in a movie called Living Jazz in 1961, and Bruce arranged all the music for the film. His band also recorded an album called Jumpin' at the NFT that same year. In 1963, a music magazine reported that Bruce Turner and his band were part of a huge jazz event at Alexandra Palace in Britain, alongside many other famous jazz artists.

Later Career and Unique Personality

Bruce Turner later played with Freddy Randall's group again from 1964 to 1966. He also performed with other jazz greats like Acker Bilk. He continued to work with Humphrey Lyttelton and other musicians throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He also sometimes played with his own Jump Band.

Bruce was known for his very quiet voice. Humphrey Lyttelton joked that you could only hear him if you were two inches away! He also had some unique habits. He would call everyone "Dad," no matter their age or gender. He often repeated phrases and used old-fashioned slang, like "Some fun, I'd say!" which came from comic books from the 1930s.

In 1984, Bruce Turner wrote his autobiography, a book about his own life, called Hot Air, Cool Music. He also wrote a column about jazz music for a newspaper called the Daily Worker. He continued to lead small music groups in the 1990s until he passed away in 1993 in Newport Pagnell.

Bruce Turner's Music Albums

Bruce Turner released several albums during his career, both as the leader of his own band and as a guest musician with other artists.

Albums as the Leader

• 1961 Jumpin' at the NFT (77 Records)
• 1963 Going Places (Philips BL7590)
• 1985 The Dirty Bopper
• 2001 Jumpin' for Joy
• 2012 Accent on Swing

Albums as a Guest Musician

With Wild Bill Davison

• 1965 With Freddy Randall and His Band
• 1975 Wild Bill Davison with Ted Easton and his Jazzfriends
• 1986 Lady of the Evening
• 1998 Struttin' with Some Barbecue
• 1999 Swinging Wild

With Ewan MacColl

• 1965 The Ballad of John Axon
• 1966 Singing the Fishing
• 1968 The Travelling People with Charles Parker, Peggy Seeger
• 1999 The Song of a Road with Charles Parker, Peggy Seeger

With others

• 1955 The 1955 London Sessions, Big Bill Broonzy
• 1974 Swinging Scorpio, Buddy Tate
• 1983 It Seems Like Yesterday, Humphrey Lyttelton
• 1987 Before My Time, Lol Coxhill
• 1989 There's Yes! Yes! In Your Eyes, Patrick Halcox
• 1992 Last of the Blues Shouters, Big Miller & the Blues Machine
• 1993 More Than Pye in the Sky, Lonnie Donegan