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Turtle Island Quartet
Its name derived from creation mythology found in Native American Folklore, the Turtle Island Quartet, since its inception in 1985, has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and most recently, the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined. Cellist nonpareil Yo-Yo Ma has proclaimed TIQ to be “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground – authentic and passionate – a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.”
The Quartet’s birth was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan’s brainstorming explorations and compositional vision while completing his master’s degree program at Antioch University West. The journey has taken Turtle Island through forays into folk, bluegrass, swing, be-bop, funk, R&B, new age, rock, hip-hop, as well as music of Latin America and India…a repertoire consisting of hundreds of ingenious arrangements and originals. It has included over a dozen recordings on labels such as Windham Hill, Chandos, Koch and Telarc, soundtracks for major motion pictures, TV and radio credits such as the Today Show, All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion, and Morning Edition, feature articles in People and Newsweek magazines, and collaborations with famed artists such as clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, guitar legends such as Leo Kottke and the Assad brothers, The Manhattan Transfer, pianists Billy Taylor, Kenny Barron and Ramsey Lewis, the Ying Quartet and the Parsons Dance Company.
Another unique element of Turtle Island is their revival of venerable improvisational and compositional chamber traditions that have not been explored by string players for nearly 200 years. At the time of Haydn’s apocryphal creation of the string quartet form, musicians were more akin to today’s saxophonists and keyboard masters of the jazz and pop world, i.e., improvisers, composers, and arrangers. Each Turtle Island member is accomplished in these areas of expertise as well as having extensive conservatory training as instrumentalists.
One result of this dedication can be seen in Turtle Island’s phenomenal international appeal, particularly in Europe where chamber music remains a vital facet of life. What was once termed ‘alternative’ chamber music now firmly inhabits the mainstream. Turtle Island members refine their skills through the development of repertory by some of today’s cutting edge composers, through performances and recordings with major symphonic ensembles, and through a determined educational commitment. Turtle Island Quartet promises to be the string quartet for the next century.
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Turtle Island Quartet: Have You Ever Been....? : The Music of Jimi Hendrix and David Balakrishnan
by Ernest Barteldes
While Jimi Hendrix has been an inspiration to many guitarists, regardless of their musical inclinations, few classical musicians have taken a deep look at his music. This changes on Have You Ever Been....? by Turtle Island Quartet; a group that has taken on the works of John Coltrane on A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane (Telarc, 2007 amongst others. The disc opens with a four-part suite of the songs from Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (Reprise, 1968), ...
read moreTurtle Island String Quartet Performs "A Love Supreme" at Stanford
by Mark Sabbatini
Turtle Island String Quartet Stanford Lively Arts Series Stanford University, Palo Alto, California February 16, 2008
One of the drags about string quartets is it's taboo to applaud solos. Not that the urge is common, but imagine a Village Vanguard crowd sitting on their hands most of the evening and punctuating the final ovation with a single cry of bravo" from the back of the room.That nagging disjointedness slightly blemished the Turtle ...
read moreTurtle Island Quartet: A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane
by Terrell Kent Holmes
The Turtle Island Quartet honors saxophone titan John Coltrane with A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane, putting its distinct signature on tunes written by, inspired by, or associated with Trane in ways that are faithful to the original concepts while giving them new dimensions and depth. Jimmy Garrison's signature four-note bass figure serves as a leitmotif throughout the Quartet's fine interpretation of A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1964). By adding their unique touches to Trane's masterpiece, ...
read moreTurtle Island String Quartet: A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane
by C. Michael Bailey
John Coltrane has been the inspiration for a number of musical considerations. Karrin Allyson's Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane (Concord, 2001) was a brilliantly well-conceived thematic recording. The Marsalis brothers each released Coltrane-related thoughts in Wynton's Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra A Love Supreme (Palmetto, 2005) and Branford's Branford Marsalis Quartet Performs Coltrane's A Love Supreme Live in Amsterdam (Marsalis Music, 2004). Add the Turtle Island String Quartet to the mix with its A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane.
The ...
read moreConcert Review: Turtle Island Quartet Takes Crossover Jazz to New Level
Source:
Michael Ricci
Jazz performed by a string quartet? At first glance the two would seem mutually exclusive -- until Turtle Island Quartet showed the world how it could be done. Turtle Island Quartet, which played at BYU Thursday, has taken the concept of crossover to a new level -- infusing jazz playing with classical parameters and classical idioms with cutting edge jazz. The resulting mix is innovative, original and not easily imitated. Turtle Island Quartet is without question in a class by ...
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Turtle Island Quartet Has Blended Jazz and Strings for Nearly Quarter of a Century
Source:
All About Jazz
David Balakrishnan took a leap. Some might call it brave, others dumb luck. Either way, now he looks brilliant. For nearly a quarter century, Balakrishnan has taken two beloved forms of music — string quartets and jazz— and mashed them into something that is both reverential and ground breaking. Since founding the Turtle Island Quartet in 1985, Balakrishnan has led the group on a wild ride of cross-genre mutation that has spawned 14 albums and garnered two Grammy Awards. The ...
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Stanford Lively Arts Presents Grammy-Winning Turtle Island Quartet/February 16 at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Source:
All About Jazz
Stanford, CA, January 24, 2008--For the first time in nearly two decades, Stanford Lively Arts welcomes the innovative Turtle Island Quartet--David Balakrishnan and Mads Tolling, violin; Jeremy Kittel, viola; and Mark Summer, cello--on Saturday, February 16 at 8:00 p.m. at Dinkelspiel Auditorium in a concert that showcases Turtle Island's interpretation of music written by, or otherwise reflective of, the 20th century jazz master John Coltrane alongside the premiere of a new work written jointly be the quartet's members. A post-performance ...
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Longwood Gardens Announces New Jazz Club Series in 2008: Sophie Milman, Turtle Island Quartet, Kenny Garrett
Source:
All About Jazz
KENNETT SQUARE, PA -- Enjoy a night of hot jazz in the midst of an exotic orchid paradise at The Jazz Club at Longwood Gardens. This exciting new series of performances features three unforgettable concerts including the glamorous jazz ingnue Sophie Milman (January 31), the bold and trendy Turtle Island Quartet (February 21), and jazz saxophonist extraordinaire, Kenny Garrett and his quartet (March 13). Each concert begins at 8 pm. Tickets may be purchased by calling 610-388-1000 ext. 100 or ...
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“....zest, imagination and brilliant technique...” —San Francisco Examiner
“It must have been like this when Beethoven was taking Vienna by storm..." the exhilaration of see the future of classical music unfold before your eyes and ears.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“The strings sing, not like angels, but like they’ve been around. The improvisations...hang tough, solidly built, and take no back talk from anybody.” —The Seattle Post-Intelligence