Mr.Turner

Imagine the eccentric sounds of Jaco Pastorious. Infiltrate those sounds with the eclectic playing style of Matthew Garrison. Add the complimentary technique of Gary Willis, the innovative creations of Jimmy Johnson, the absolute craziness of Booty Collins and the classical jazz training of Jimmy Haslip and one could only begin to describe the enormous sound coming from Dennis Turner’s six-string bass. His playing has been described as “magical,” simply because he has developed a method that embraces all that he has heard and learned. The manner in which he approaches his instrument is baffling to most because you never know where he is going to come from or where he is going to land. But each time, he lands in a place that is surprising yet strangely perfect. His skill is advanced and extremely technical, having been formally trained at both high school under the tutelage of Bassist and Educator Yusef Chisholm and at Norfolk State University by Guitarist Mr. Ken Dorsey. But studying under his musical father, Yusef Chisholm, Dennis has learned to use his instrument as a voice. Through his fingers, he has mastered the art of personifying the bass achieving the ability to yell in anger, fill the room with laughter, whisper like a shy child, or softly romance and captivate an audience in one sitting, just by moving his hands. And when Mr. Turner speaks, we all listen. Being one of the most versatile bass players in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, Dennis, plays with the best. He has been seen hitting with some of the most notorious hip-hop and soul artists to the more well-known jazz musicians and gospel choirs. And this is only the beginning. We can all speak of degrees earned and accolades won throughout our careers, but those are just words. To describe Dennis Turner’s playing in small words would be a failure to his musical creations. Each note, each harmonic, each chord, each slap is a piece of a story that he tells every time he picks up his bass. Our ears long for the story to be a never ending one…taking us through twists and turns, sadness and immense joy, any emotion you can think of, but always leaving the listener satiated. With each story Dennis brings honesty, integrity, and passion. He brings his own version of Bassology. Music created by him speaks of honesty, love, warmth, compassion, and most importantly truth. Mr. Turner tries to create along these lines whether he is producing music or performing on stage and it’s what peers and audiences alike connect with him. When you think of world-renowned bass players, your list is probably endless, but there is a new name that belongs at the top of that list. We await Mr. Turner…