Jay A Turner Band Page

Jay Turner’s curiosity, creativity and intuitive musicality has led him into an unusually diverse career as a bass player. Drawing on classical and jazz influences as well as a few of his personal pop superheros like Sam Phillips and Brian Eno, Jay has made as much of a name for himself as the 'go to' man for the perfect bass line on a session as he has creating his own rich musical landscapes. Jay’s work today finds him playing Punk Rock in local bars, World Music at the Kennedy Center and Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, Blues across Europe and session work in Nashville. He’s been making sounds that haven’t been made before on a bass guitar. Perhaps most remarkably, Jay Turner has won the respect and friendship of a very diverse and widespread community of artists & musicians around the world. This year marks the release of his 4th solo CD, 'Nine Ladies Dancing'. It showcases a creative group of artists for which Jay laid down the musical landscape, allowing each artist to fill out his vision with their voice and ideas. The album titles reflects the 9 Beatitudes, values we are free to express in our own individual way; Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. The spirit of trust and optimism is hard to miss when you listen this recording. Solid grooves and deliciously dreamy sonic layerings - at first thought I was listening to a pleasing pop effort but as I dug deeper I heard something more visceral and introspective. Tim Campbells vocal’s are powerful and honest and Joanna Cotton on “Gentleness” adds an authentic and blissful soulfulness to the background of pedal steel guitar and Jay Turner’s signature chorded tenor bass lines. ‘Joy’ is a guitar player’s fiesta; an experimental joy ride of ripping riffs and a driving rhythm section. The CD never looses it’s momentum – it’s almost like reading a book,- and it finishes with a playful and captivating spoken word piece about a man’s journey to “find my joy”. It’s a testament to Jay’s compositional skills that he has brought such a diverse group of almost 20 artists together to create a CD that remains quintessentially ‘Turner’ – wildly creative, brooding and full of joy. Jen Smith www.jayaturner.net