Turk Van Lake

Biography

Vanig Rupen Hovsepian (June 15, 1918 – September 1, 2002), better known as Turk Van Lake, was an American arranger, composer and jazz guitarist. Born in Boston, he studied composition at the Boston Conservatory and went on to play with Charlie Barnet, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Sarah Vaughan, and with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. In the 1950s he wrote for Metronome magazine. Until his retirement in 1993, he was as an adjunct music professor at the College of Staten Island. Van Lake was the first guitar teacher of Reeves Gabrels, the lead guitarist for David Bowie's backing band, Tin Machine.

Bio from Wikipedia

Discography

Records they worked on — most-collected first.

• 

  The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert

  1950

• 

  In The Land Of Hi-Fi

  1956

• 

  This Is Benny Goodman Vol. 2

  1972

• 

  The Roar Of The Greasepaint- The Smell Of The Crowd

  1965

• 

  It's Time We Met Terry Gibbs

  1965

Credited work

219 releases · 41 albums · active 1954–2024

• Performance · 245
• Other credits · 2

Studios: Webster Hall · Mister Kelly's · Carnegie Hall · Hotel Lincoln, NYC

Frequent collaborators

• Sarah Vaughan
• Benny Goodman
• Terry Gibbs
• Charlie Barnet
• Benny Goodman And His Orchestra
• Various
• The Red Norvo Trio
• Les & Larry Elgart

Around the web

• Wikipedia