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 writing his master’s thesis 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, The Manhattan Transfer, pianists Billy Taylor
and Kenny Barron, 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 unusual and
endemic ‘re-compositions’ of works by the old masters, 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 a string quartet for the 21st century.
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A
Love Supreme
Turtle
Island Plays The Music Of John Coltrane
Given
the proper conditions, a work of art can transcend both genre and era, claiming
its rightful place in the universality of human expression that justifies the
very existence of mankind. Such is
the case of John Coltrane’s jazz epiphany, A
Love Supreme. Recorded four
decades ago at a time when the country was deeply troubled by issues of race and
war, Trane’s music was a personal statement of redemption and salvation that
struck a chord in the hearts of millions, becoming one of the most enduring jazz
recordings of all time.
The
string quartet form itself continues to thrive in the 21st century in
no small part due to its impressive history of similar achievements in its two
hundred year old canon. In
exploring John Coltrane’s musical legacy, TI continues its own tradition of
employing the string quartet form to shed new light on the timeless joy and
beauty contained in the greatest music of the American jazz masters. The concert
program will present an in-depth look at this landmark recording in the greater
context of the music that preceded and followed, a time many consider to be the
last great evolutionary period of jazz.
School of Miles
Miles Davis, the jazz iconoclast, a man who by his own admission changed the
course of music many times, has been universally acknowledged as one of the
most brilliant bandleaders in all of contemporary music. As Miles himself
said, his strength as a leader was “having the ability to put certain guys
together that would create a chemistry and then letting them go; letting
them play what they knew, and above it."
John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Herbie
Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, Keith Jarrett,
and John McLaughlin are just some of the jazz legends who played in Miles’
bands. In leaving to form their own ensembles, they created a rich musical
legacy that ultimately pays homage to the man who gave many of them their
first big break. Turtle Island Quartet, inspired and nourished by the music
created by these great visionaries, presents a diverse program of seminal
works by the graduates of the School Of Miles.
Solstice Celebration
The Festival of Lights
This joyous voyage through World Holiday Music commemorates the quartet members'
ancestral roots with a series of concerts showcasing the music associated with
what is referred to in both the Jewish and Hindu traditions as the FESTIVAL
OF LIGHTS. From the songs of Chanukah, to the music of India's Dewali, to
the old English carols and Scottish reels of the 16th century, TI will explore
the timeless music that has been an integral part of winter holiday celebrations
for centuries. The quartet will also feature pieces that have touched Americans'
hearts for almost 40 years, such as pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi's
beloved music from A Charlie Brown Christmas. For many of the
performances, the quartet will be joined on stage by the community's choir for
an exhilarating finale. Take the family to Turtle Island this holiday season,
and experience the concert highlight of the year.
"This group has set a standard beyond the reach of its few contemporaries...In
the multifarious idiom they have all but invented, Turtle Island remains the
ne plus ultra." ~ The Los Angeles Times
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Turtle Island Quartet With Special Guests
2009-2010
Crossroads -
Turtle
Island Quartet
with mandolin virtuoso,
Mike Marshall
Fall 2009
Mike Marshall is one of the most accomplished and versatile acoustic
musicians performing today- well known for his collaborations with the
leading artists of our day such as Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, and Chris Thile.
Now, this master of the mandolin, guitar and violin, joins forces with the
two-time Grammy winning Turtle Island Quartet for a series of unforgettable
concerts. Together they undertake a musical journey through the American
landscape. Various stops along the way include American fiddle and folk
music, modern and vintage jazz, Latin American and South Indian music, the
myriad folk and classical traditions of Europe, and beyond. Whether
exploring the music of the many immigrant cultures of the 19th century or
creating original work that melds these influences into new sounds, this
great combination is not to be missed.
*Mike Marshall appears in cooperation with Maria Camillo
Booking
The
Turtle Island Quartet and Ying Quartet
“Razor-sharp
execution of cutting edge music.”
-- Lincoln Journal Star
The Turtle Island Quartet and Ying Quartet collaboration features two
dynamic string ensembles from opposite ends of the musical spectrum
exploring the inner core and outer edges of their art form. The result won a
2006 Grammy Award.
The project was inspired by idle conversation between Phillip Ying and David
Balakrishnan while they both were attending a Chamber Music America board
meeting. The two groups had the opportunity to pursue the myriad
possibilities in person during a subsequent Turtle Island engagement at
Eastman School of Music, where the Yings are in residence. As the musicians
threw ideas back and forth, such as what role improvisation and groove play
in a classical string quartet and how vibrato is used in creating a sonorous
blend when playing jazz, a preliminary concept for a central theme soon
emerged: “Tradition versus Innovation.”
During the first half of the program each quartet performs separately,
demonstrating their individual styles of presentation and interpretation.
The quartets unite in the second half to perform a new transcription of
Darius Milhaud’s “La Création Du Monde,” the first significant attempt to
use jazz in a concert work (1923). “Julie-O,” a virtuosic tour de force for
cello duo by Mark Summer, follows. The centerpiece of the program is David
Balakrishnan’s, “Mara’s Garden Of False Delights,”* a three-movement work
imbued with the composer’s trademark stylistic integration of jazz, American
vernacular, western classical and East Indian musical genres. The program
ends with both groups squaring off in a classic ‘battle of the bands’
configuration to perform Evan Price’s masterful “Variations on an Unoriginal
Theme,” which takes the audience on a tour through a brief history of
chamber music, beginning with a bit of simulated Haydn and ending with the
sounds of James Brown! Telarc released the collaboration nationally in 2005.
*commissioned by the Lied Center at the
University of Kansas, Porter Center at Brevard College & Minnesota State
University/Moorhead.
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The
Art of the Groove
An
exploration of rhythm in classical and popular forms through lecture/
demonstration
Length:
60 minutes; up to 1000 6th
– college level
The
focus in this program is on the fundamental rhythmic differences between
European classical and American vernacular forms, using the rich historical
connection to the traditional string quartet as the point of departure for a
cross-cultural musical journey that begins with Beethoven and ends with.…TI!
Turtle Island identifies the "back-beat" as the key, unveiling
it in its various stylistic guises with the help of the audience, and then the
quartet embarks on a simple and methodical layering of the basic building blocks
employed in creating a jazz string combo, one instrument at a time.
TI discusses the various techniques that allow it all to happen,
including innovative percussive techniques, emulation of other instruments
(saxophone, guitar, trumpet, bass, etc.), neo-classical phrasing, composition
and arranging, and basics of improvisation.
One of the highlights is an exploration of the American fiddle tradition,
utilizing the second theme of Dvorak’s American Quartet.
Also touched upon are odd meters in jazz ala Dave Brubeck, Hip-Hop/60s
rock ala Jimi Hendrix, R&B ala Tower Of Power and clave rhythms of Latin
American music. There is even a
little fun with Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Throughout
all, the back-beat rules.
A
String Quartet is Like a Family
A
special lecture/ demonstration program for younger audiences
Length:
60 minutes; up to 700 students K – 6th grade
This
engaging and accessible presentation for children in grades K-6 utilizes the
model of the family to help students understand how a string quartet functions
and thrives. Turtle Island draws
comparisons between the interactions of the quartet and the audience’s
families, giving children a personal reference point that greatly helps them to
gain a simple but profound understanding of the complete dynamics that drive
musical groups. The children also
learn to discern the many different styles the quartet presents, and young
instrumentalists are presented with a new model of what is possible to achieve
on string instruments. Members of
the audience are invited to participate throughout the presentation, joining in
rhythmic clap-alongs, dialogue with quartet members and a question-and-answer
period following a rousing rock and roll finish. This presentation can easily be modified to include middle
school students.
It’s
About Time
Masterclass
formats to fit every type of string program
Various
lengths and formats; preferably groups of 25 or less; Junior High – College
level
How
often is it that young string students lose interest in playing simply because
the musical options that are given have little relevance to their lives?
The chance to improvise can be pure gold for such students.
Turtle Island is fiercely dedicated to spreading the word that the bowed
string instrument is one of the most versatile on the planet, and there should
be no limit to what is possible to play and play well, be it Bach or the
Beatles. To that end, the quartet
offers masterclasses that fit every need, from one-hour sessions for beginners
to week-long intensive jazz string seminars at educational institutions
worldwide. Much of TI’s music
is available in sheet music form for both string quartet and string orchestra,
and Turtle Island also has study aids that they bring especially for teaching.
However, because the printed page can distract students from using their
ears and intuition in creating these new sounds, TI avoids relying too heavily
on written materials. Ultimately, this experience can leave the student with a much
deeper appreciation of the storehouse of European classical literature that we
all treasure and wish to preserve.
Blue
In Green
The
legacy of Miles Davis
Length:
60 minutes; classroom size; High School – College level
In
this lecture/demonstration, TI pays homage to the great jazz trumpeter and
relentless iconoclast, Miles Davis. The
presentation will focus on selections from the best-selling jazz recording of
all time, Miles’ legendary “Kind Of Blue.”
Interspersed will be related materials that exemplify the deep roots from
which this masterpiece grew, as well as the subsequent blossoming of American
musical genres that followed. With "Boplicity," from the recording
"Birth Of The Cool," TI examines the relationship between Miles and
the ‘beatnik’ movement that his new musical aesthetic came to be associated
with. His piece "Milestones" was the first to use modal material as
its harmonic basis, a reflection of Miles' interest in African and East Indian
music which was generated by his strong desire to escape the tyranny of the
European harmonic model that so dominated the Bebop era. With "Green
Dolphin Street," the quartet touches on Miles' revival of the show tune as
a medium for the highest level of artistic expression in modern jazz. And of
course the group takes a long look at the phenomenon of "Kind Of
Blue," using classic compositions from the recording such as "Blue and
Green" and "So What" to establish a strong correlation to chamber
music, and maybe help to explain why this recording appeals to such a wide
audience. Davis’ legendary reputation for ignoring the entertainment aspects
of jazz in favor of forcing the audience to focus on the music is examined in
the context of the powerful influence of the civil rights movement on all
aspects of society in his lifetime, especially in comparison with the extreme
formality of classical music presentation that was typical of that era. This
brings us full-circle to what we feel makes us unique in the world of classical
music, and how wonderfully that corresponds with the life and work of Miles
Davis.
Note:
the Quartet always reserves time for questions. The question period is built into projected show times.
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A Love Supreme,
Telarc
Winter Solstice IV
Collaborations:
Laments & Dances,
Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo with Turtle Island String Quartet, BMG
Homage,
Billy Taylor Trio w/ Turtle Island String Quartet, GRP
A Shock To The System,
film soundtrack
HBO comedy series,
Sex and the City, 3rd season
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Please
contact Baylin Artists for technical information.
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