Yuri Turchyn, a world-class five-string Latin Jazz violinist whose international flair crisscrossed cultures and blended Gypsy Jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Latin Beat with fusion symmetry and string swing, died on April 14, 2024. He was 73.
With a jazz fusion mentality, Yuri had a unique sound that blended various music genres. His great feel for jazz permutations and improvisations was evident in his original compositions and arrangements influenced by jazz standards and the Great American Songbook. His highly visible career as a premier performing artist was marked by his five-string electric violin, distinctive voice, and smooth, melodic vocals, all contributing to his one-of-a-kind sound.
The Jersey Shore had been Yuri’s hometown for a long time. He left his mark throughout the decades as a founding member of the country rock band Kinderhook, arguably the most popular New Jersey band during the 1970s, contributing significantly to the early establishment of the New Jersey music scene. Through the years, he explored music genres, creating impressive, memorable performances with bands such as Trinity II, Bombay, The World, Soul Purpose, Rude Awakening, Now, Voyager, Pat Guadagno, Tired Horses, BobFest, celebrating the work of Bob Dylan and his Latin Jazz-fused quintet Yuri Turchyn+GRUPO YURI.
Through the integrations of Latin, Jazz, and World Music-based rhythms, seductive melodies and interweaving instrumentals became the standard of excellence for the smooth jazz quintet. They performed at world-class jazz festivals, regional concerts, and A-list clubs throughout the NY/ NJ metropolitan area, including Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival, Point Pleasant Jazz Festival, Sweet Sounds of Downtown Jazz Series, Westfield; Roselle Summer Concert Series; SOPAC; Burgdorff Cultural Center, Maplewood; Galeria West Art Gallery, Westfield; Trumpets, Montclair; Shanghai Jazz, Madison; Tim McLoone’s Supper Club, Asbury Park; Downtown Cafe, Red Bank; Giamano’s Jazz and Blues Club, Bradley Beach, Chico’s House of Jazz, Asbury Park.
A solo career flourished with international tours, including Orvieto, Italy, with Gypsy Jazz guitarists BARTENDER (2013, 2014, and 2017), the Umbria Folk Festival (2013), and the West Bloor Street Ukrainian Festival, Toronto (2016). After the 2010 reunion with Kinderhook, his original music and lyrics are showcased in the short documentary KINDERHOOK: Send Your Demo Here, Vol. 1, an official selection in the Music Legacy category of the Asbury Park Music+Film Festival (2018).
Yuri was immunocompromised in 2021 after the second COVID-19 shot and continued in his recovery from severe anaphylaxis attacks. He and his wife, Christina, moved from New Jersey to Chestertown and Rock Hall, Maryland, in 2023, searching for a slower pace within the artist community. His final illness was caused by agrochemical industrial pollution on the Eastern Shore, Kent County, Maryland.
Yuri Turchyn was well versed in the ways of Steely Dan, Pat Metheny, and Jean Luc Ponty, crisscrossing cultures that blended Gypsy Jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Latin Beat with Urban Country and String Swing. He was a lifelong working musician contributing to American music history for music lovers and the music makers’ community. Memorial contributions may be made in Yuri Turchyn’s name to the Bruce Springsteen Archives at the Center for American Music at Monmouth University at https://springsteenarchives.org/give/ and Yara Arts Group https://www.yaraartsgroup.net/