In search of Charlie Turner

Yesterday I went looking for Charlie Turner..........and I found him!

Charlie died in 2006.

Yesterday on a business trip for the FSU Music Library, me and Mark (my immediate boss) went to Bunnell, Florida to interview Charlie Turner's surviving mother. (she's 90).

Charlie Turner was Frank Sinatra's lead trumpet player and friend from about 1973 to 1981. Charlie was a trumpet star and hobnobbed with all the Hollywood and Las Vegas bigwigs and surrounding people in the "rat pack circle"....and beyond and he traveled and played trumpet all over the world.
Anyway we interviewed Mrs. Norma Turner for 5 hours and brought back many great things that she donated to the FSU College of Music Library including one of his trumpets, a handmade Benge silver pocket trumpet.
Anyway it was a great look into Sinatra's inner circle and into the life of a great trumpet player who traveled the world "living his dream".

Besides all the great souvenirs and music charts and "the trumpet" Mrs. Turner donated to the FSU Music Library...........
"independent".....from the FSU donation............

I bought Charlie's.....awesome rose bell Yamaha Flugelhorn ($300) from Mrs. Turner and she also "gave me" his "black jacket" that he wore when he played for Reagan's presidential inauguration. It has "Charlie" on it, the "Presidential Seal "and a "Sinatra patch" on the sleeve. I also came away with two of his mouthpieces. The flugelhorn has the serial number of 000041 which I found out (later) from Yamaha means that this was a "proto-type" trumpet and the only one like it in the world.

It plays like a dream.

Charlie Turner is listed in Wikepedia here at.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Turner_(musician)

Anyway it was an awesome trip

Dons Blue Trumpet

Question from Charles

Location: Arizona

I was wondering where Don came to have such a unique blue trumpet?

Answer from Don Juan

Location: Tallahassee, FL, USA
Posted: Wed May 05, 2004 3:34 am Post subject: Re: Don's Trumpet

Charles-

I love my blue and gold trumpet. It really is a work of art. It is a custom made "Martin Committee" Trumpet made by G. LaBlanc Corporation in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This is the same exact type of trumpet that Miles Davis played up until his death in 1991. These horns come in blue, red and black. I like the blue ones. The blue is anodized electroplating and is as hard as a saphire. Mine has custom engraving by Howie Hartnell with "Don Juan" engraved on it. After the anodizing and engraving, gold plating is added. Howie, as everyone calls him has been the one and only trumpet engraver for Martins for forty years. He personally did the engraving on all Miles' horns as well as the one I ordered in 2003.

Since he is the only master engraver, there is quite a backlog, and it took me six months to recieve mine after I had paid for it. These trumpets are famous jazz horns that have a seamless interior and have a very dark and fluid sound.
Yours in music,
Don Juan

Don Juan Band

In search of Charlie Turner

Dons Blue Trumpet