Tommy Turk

Tommy Turk was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1927.[1] His father, Joseph,[2] was a coal miner and self-taught trumpeter.[1] Tommy got his first trombone when he was in fourth grade of school.[2] His elder brother, Rob, was also a trumpeter.[1] The three of them played in a band with two neighbors, and Tommy developed some fast-playing technique when playing polkas in the band.[2] He had further musical experience in the Conemaugh High School band,[2] and graduated from the same school[1] in 1944.[2] The brothers then continued playing together in a University of Michigan campus band, but Tommy soon joined the army, where he also led bands.[2]

Turk left the army and then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1947.[2] He became established there as part of the Deuces Wild quintet.[1] Their playing helped Turk develop a reputation, and when promoter Norman Granz heard him play, he invited Turk to appear with his touring group of major jazz figures when they performed at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh.[2] His appearance was a success, and Granz recruited Turk to play in Chicago, and for several months in 1948 as part of Jazz at the Philharmonic.[2]

Turk 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,[3] 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".[4] Nevertheless, he decided to stay in Pittsburgh, where he could control what he played and enjoyed life[2] – in the 1950s he continued playing with Deuces Wild.[5]

In 1954, The Pittsburgh Press reported that Turk was considering leaving the area because his annual earnings of less than $5,500 from leading Deuces Wild were inadequate.[2] At the time, he had a wife, Mary, and two sons – Tommy Turk Jr, aged three, and Charles, aged two.[2]

Turk also recorded with Billie Holiday,[6] Ella Fitzgerald and Flip Phillips around the same time.[3] In 1972 he performed at the Pittsburgh jazz festival with a band led by Roy Eldridge.[7]

For many years Turk led a quartet that played at the Point View Hotel in Brentwood, Pennsylvania.[8] He later moved to Las Vegas, to play in house bands.[9] The Brentwood band reformed in 1976, and later recorded the album The-Truth!!! as a quintet.[9]

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.[10] 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."[10] One eyewitness reported that Turk had difficulty lying flat and did not take out his wallet quickly enough for the killer.[11] Four gang members were charged in relation to the killing.[10] The 15-year-old who shot Turk was made eligible for parole in 2005.[11] Turk, who was 53,[12] was survived by his wife and two sons.[1]

• Account of Turk's killer's attempt to overturn his conviction