text: Oviedo firefighters battled a 3-alarm blaze at Tivoli Apartments near the UCF campus on Sunday, July 12, 2015.
  In range of technique and experience, Steve Turre is probably unmatched by any of today's trombonists. His model has been the late J.J. Johnson, whose speed and precision enabled him to adapt the somewhat unruly horn to the technical demands of modern jazz. Turre, who has toured with Santana, Tito Puente and Lester Bowie, began experimenting in the late '60s with blowing seashells on occasional gigs and on several subsequent CDs.
  Turre wrote four of the eight tunes (the rest are standards) on "TNT," his recent CD which abandons the shell game and returns him to his major instrument. Although he pairs up with tenor saxophonists James Carter and David Sanchez, as well as with one of the great '60s musical revolutionaries, Dewey Redman -- now 70 and showing no signs of quitting the field -- it's Turre's brilliant talent that shines throughout.
  Despite – or perhaps because of – his lack of concert-organizing experience, local culture prod Dave Plotkin set a new standard for special musical engagements when his favorite musician returned to play Orlando. Experimental popsmith John Vanderslice usually has his pick of the top indie clubs when he comes here. But last November, he went off the booking grid and let Plotkin build a fresh event around him. Between the arty souvenir tickets, the dynamic setting and the live local collaborations, it was a mold-breaking, 360-degree experience that impressed the audience and – according to what Vanderslice told us – the artist alike.