Gecko Turner (born Fernando Gabriel Echave Pelaez in 1966)
is a Spanish musician and singer-songwriter whose sound throughout the years
has embraced bossa nova, soul, funk, afro, reggae, jazz, samba, hip hop and
electronica. Based near the border between Spain and Portugal, he has fronted
several bands in his native country.
Turner grew up in Spain’s Extremadura region, learning
English from the blues artists he loved. Having taught himself to play the
guitar in his teens, Gecko Turner discovered jazz, finding a special affinity
for the Afro-Cuban sounds of Dizzy Gillespie. He hitched all over Spain to
follow Gillespie on tour, listening to bebop and reading Jack Kerouac. But he
also soaked up London’s jazz scene and incorporated numerous styles such as
Afro-beat, Cuban and Brazilian rhythms during his decades-long musical journey,
creating a hybrid that was all his own and that journalists in Spain dubbed
‘Afromeño’.
During the last few years, Gecko Turner‘s songs have been
included in over 70 compilations released all over the world, and have been
used in several TV commercials and films. Also, his work as a producer led him
to collaborate with such artists as Californian jazz and blues singer Brenda
Boykin, and (recently deceased) flamenco singer Fernando Terremoto, recording
for both of their albums; “Chocolate and Chili”, and “Terremoto”.
All of Gecko Turner‘s work has been published by Lovemonk
Records, in cd or vinyl, from his 2003 breakthrough debut “Guadapasea!”, to his
follow-up “Chandalismo Ilustrado” in 2006, “Manipulado” in 2008, “Gone Down
South” in 2010 and highly acclaimed “That Place, By The Thing With The Cool
Name” in 2015. In 2018 Turner and Lovemonk prepare to launch the artist’s
latest album “Soniquete”, a collection of his greatest hits, previously
unreleased gems and new songs, slated for release in the Fall, and anticipated
by a radio-friendly edit of single “Un Limon En La Cabeza“.
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