Birth name Thomas Eugene Turk Genres Jazz Name Tommy Turk | Instruments Trombone Occupation(s) Musician Albums An Evening of Jazz | |
Died 1981, Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area Similar People Flip Phillips, Sonny Criss, Tommy Potter, Curley Russell, Bill Harris | ||
Tommy Turk and his Orchestra - Two By Four
Thomas Eugene "Tommy" Turk (1927 – August 4, 1981) was an American jazz trombonist.
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Tommy turk 1949
Early life
Tommy Turk was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1927. His father was a coal miner and self-taught trumpeter. Tommy's elder brother, Rob, was also a trumpeter. Tommy graduated from Conemaugh High School.
Career
In the 1940s Turk became established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as part of the Deuces Wild quintet. Turk often played for Jazz at the Philharmonic and can be heard on several CDs with Charlie Parker. In 1949 he was a member of Flip Phillips and His Orchestra, together with John D'Agostino, Buddy Morrow, Kai Winding, Sonny Criss, Mickey Crane, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne, and on December 1, 1949, he led a group including Ray Brown and Buddy Rich that recorded four tunes under the name "Tommy Turk and His Orchestra". In the 1950s he continued playing with Deuces Wild.
Turk also recorded with Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Flip Phillips around the same time. For many years Turk led a quartet that played at the Point View Hotel in Brentwood, Pennsylvania. In 1972 he performed at the Pittsburgh jazz festival with a band led by Roy Eldridge.
Death
Many years later, Turk was living and performing in Las Vegas. On August 4, 1981, he was fatally shot by robbers at a tavern in that city. The Pittsburgh Press reported that Turk was "shot in the head for no apparent reason as he and other patrons lay on the floor of a tavern liquor store during a holdup." One eyewitness reported that Turk had difficulty lying flat and did not take out his wallet quickly enough for the killer. Four gang members were charged in relation to the killing. The 15-year-old who shot Turk was made eligible for parole in 2005. Turk, who was 53, was survived by his wife and two sons.