Turtle Island String Quartet

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The Turtle Island String Quartet is a San Francisco Bay Area based jazz string quartet formed in 1985 and still actively touring worldwide and recording as of 2007. They were the first string quartet to achieve artistic and commercial success integrating jazz improvisation, jazz rhythms and comping using extended techniques. Their extensive repertoire consists primarily of compositions and arrangements by quartet members that highlight their versatility by bridging several styles including Bluegrass, European classical music, funk, jazz, Latin American music, and Indian classical music. They became known for their renditions of jazz standards, such as founding violinist David Balakrishnan's Grammy-nominated arrangement of "A Night In Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Stolen Moments" by Oliver Nelson, or "Blue Rondo a la Turk" by Dave Brubeck on Art of the Groove, as well as for jazz interpretations of famous classical music pieces, as shown on the humorously titled "Bach's Lunch" on The Hamburg Concert. The quartet has also covered rock and roll pieces, such as Jimi Hendrix's "Gypsy Eyes" on Who Do We Think We Are? and Eric Clapton's - originally Robert Johnson's - "Crossroads" on Skylife.

In addition to playing as a quartet, they have collaborated with renowned jazz artists such as clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera and pianist Kenny Barron, the classical string quartet Ying Quartet, and several major orchestras.

Their name was taken by co-founder Darol Anger from Native American mythology, where "Turtle Island" is the name for the North American continent, courtesy of poet Gary Snyder's influential book of the same name.

Quartet members

As of 2008:

David Balakrishnan – violin and baritone violin (original member)
Mads Tolling – violin
Jeremy Kittel – viola
Mark Summer – cello (original member)

Former members:

Darol Anger – violin and baritone violin (original member)
Laurie Moore – viola (original member)
Irene Sazer – viola
Danny Seidenberg – viola
Tracy Silverman – violin
Katrina Wreede – viola
Jeremy Cohen – viola
Will Taylor – viola
Evan Price – violin

Awards and recognition

Grammy Awards & Grammy nominations

Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album for 4 + Four (2006)
Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album for A Love Supreme: The Legacy Of John Coltrane (2008)

Discography

Turtle Island String Quartet – 1988 Windham Hill
Metropolis – 1989 Windham Hill
Skylife – 1990 Windham Hill
A Shock to the System – 1990 Windham Hill
On the Town – 1991 Windham Hill
Spider Dreams – 1992 Windham Hill
Who Do We Think We Are? – 1994 Windham Hill
By the Fireside – 1995 Windham Hill
The Hamburg Concert – 1997 CCn'C Records
Art of the Groove – 2000 Koch
Danzon – 2002 Koch
A Night in Tunisia, A Week in Detroit – 2002 Chandos
4 + Four – 2005 Telarc, with the Ying Quartet
A Love Supreme – 2007 Telarc

External links

Turtle Island String Quartet homepage
Turtle Island Quartet: Bending Musical Lines. National Public Radio. Retrieved on 2006-05-08..
Speak For Yourself! A Hyper-History of American Composer-Led New Music Ensembles. American Music Center. Retrieved on 2006-05-08..
Music Mavericks Turtle Island Quartet Revolutionize Jazz

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Last updated on Thursday February 14, 2008 at 17:15:37 PST (GMT -0800)
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