Genre Jazz | Years active 1985 (1985)–present Albums Confetti Man | |
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Also known as Turtle Island String Quartet Website turtleislandquartet.com Past members Mark SummerDarol AngerMads TollingJeremy KittelTracy SilvermanDanny SeidenbergEvan PriceIrene SazerKatrina WreedeLaurie MooreJeremy CohenMateusz Smoczynski Origin San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States (1985) Members Profiles |
Turtle island quartet npr music tiny desk concert
The Turtle Island Quartet (known as the "Turtle Island String Quartet" before the 2007 release of A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane) is a San Francisco Bay Area based jazz string quartet formed in 1985 by violinists Darol Anger and David Balakrishnan, and still actively touring worldwide and recording as of 2016. 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.
Contents
- Turtle island quartet npr music tiny desk concert
- Turtle island quartet skylife
- Quartet members
- Awards and recognition
- Discography
- Songs
- References
In addition to playing as a quartet, they have collaborated with renowned jazz artists such as clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, pianist Kenny Barron, the classical string quartet Ying Quartet, vocalist Tierney Sutton 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.
Turtle island quartet skylife
Quartet members
As of 2016:
Former members:
Awards and recognition
Discography
Songs
A Night in TunisiaTurtle Island String Quartet · 1992
Have You Ever Been2010
SkylifeA Retrospective · 1997