Turtle Island String Quartet

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 2006:

• David Balakrishnan – violin and baritone violin (original member)
• Evan Price – violin
• Mads Tolling – viola
• Mark Summer – cello (original member)

Former members:

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

Awards and recognition

• Grammy Awards & Grammy nominations
  • Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album for 4 + Four (2006)

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 (2005-05-11). Retrieved on 2006-05-08.
• Speak For Yourself! A Hyper-History of American Composer-Led New Music Ensembles. American Music Center (1999-05-01). Retrieved on 2006-05-08.

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