Master jazz player in town: Mark Turner brings his quartet to the Chinese capital

World
Europe

By CGTN's Julian Waghann, Song Yaotian & Luo Chen

Jazz fans in Beijing had a real treat last weekend, as American saxophonist Mark Turner came to town. Turner has been hailed as the "Best Jazz Player You've Never Heard" by The New York Times. He brought his quartet to Beijing club Blue Note, the headquarters of jazz in the Chinese capital.

It was in fact the second time that Turner has performed at Blue Note – the first was just a couple of months ago, on New Year's Eve. But his fans can't get enough of him.

Mark Turner performs at Blue Note Beijing. /Photo by Zhang Dongdong

Born in Ohio, and raised in a small town in Southern California, Turner originally intended to become a commercial artist.

He attended California State University in the 1980s, playing in jazz ensembles in his spare time.

After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1990, he moved east to New York – a city which claims to be the jazz capital of the world.

Turner worked at Tower Records for an extended period before going full-time as a jazz musician.

Mark Turner performs at Blue Note Beijing. /Photo by Zhang Dongdong

Many say his sound has elements of the legendary John Coltrane. His improvised lines tend to span several octaves and contain great harmonic and rhythmic complexities.