TURTLE ISLAND QUARTET

Its name derived from Native American folkloric creation mythology, the Turtle Island Quartet (TIQ), since its inception in 1985, has been a singular force in the design of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner in 2006, and most recently the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album for A Love Supreme - The Legacy of John Coltrane, TIQ fuses the classical quartet aesthetic with contemporary American musical styles by devising a performance exemplar that honors and redefines the state of the art.

TIQ's birth was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan's explorations and compositional vision while writing his master's thesis.  Its journey has taken TIQ through forays into several genres, most prominently jazz. It has accumulated 14 recordings on four labels, currently Telarc; soundtracks for motion pictures, network TV and public radio appearances; feature articles in People and Newsweek magazines, and collaborations with Paquito D'Rivera, Billy Taylor, Cyrus Chestnut, Kenny Barron, The Manhattan Transfer; and the and the classical Ying Quartet.

A unique element of TIQ is their revival of improvisational and compositional chamber traditions that have not been explored by string players for nearly 200 years.  At the time of Haydn's creation of the string quartet form, musicians were essentially improvisers, composers, and arrangers.  Each TIQ member is a conservatory-trained instrumentalist, accomplished in these areas of musical expertise.

TIQ has garnered phenomenal international appeal, particularly in Europe where chamber music remains a vital music force.  What was once termed "alternative" chamber music now firmly inhabits the mainstream.  TIQ members refine their skills through unique modifications of works by the old masters and the development of new repertory by some of today's cutting-edge composers, performing and recording with major symphonic ensembles. TIQ is a paradigmatic string quartet for the 21st century.

David Balakrishnan (violin), TIQ founder, developed a revolutionary compositional style based on the principle of stylistic integration applied to string instruments. He is TIQ's principal composer and arranger and the recipient of numerous commissions and grants.

Mark Summer (cello) is a founding member of TIQ and is widely regarded as one of the outstanding cellists of our time, thanks in large measure to his phenomenal percussion and pizzicato techniques that provide the propulsive grounding feel of bass and drums.

Mads Tolling (violin) is an acclaimed and awarded Danish musician. In addition to his work with TIQ, he has worked regularly with Stanley Clarke's band. He is an accomplished improviser and a sought after educator.

Jeremy Kittle (viola) is the newest member of TIQ and comes with credentials in numerous styles of fiddling. He is highly awarded in classical, Celtic, Scottish, and jazz music, both as a technician and improviser.

John Coltrane (b. 1926 - d. 1967)

"During the year 1957 I experienced, by the grace of God, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life. At that time, in gratitude, I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy through music. I feel this has been granted through His grace. ALL PRAISE TO GOD... With love to all I thank you."

John Coltrane, after Charlie Parker, was the most revolutionary, innovative, and widely emulated saxophonist in jazz. He also was a man who studied religions of the East and West, as well as physics, albeit not as a scientist. Coltrane dared attempt to discover what Stephen Hawking later would call "the mind of God" through music.  That quest was not a pretense.

Trane, as he was known, was a humble man born in rural North Carolina. He served in the Navy in WWII, and lived in Philadelphia before plucked for tenor saxophone stardom by Miles Davis in 1955. Substance abuse disrupted his career. Shortly after leaving Davis in 1957, he committed himself to overcoming these tribulations. Fortuitously, Coltrane caught on with Thelonious Monk, gaining vast insight into harmony. This experience provided him with a new concept of vertical improvisation, the "sheets of sound," or rapidly arpeggiated scale patterns, that were to become his trademark in that period. Rejoining Miles in 1958, Trane continued this exploration. Prodded by Miles, and inspired by pianist-theorist George Russell and classical works of Aram Khachaturian, he advanced into modal improvisation. While with Miles, he discovered the soprano saxophone, adding it to his arsenal before going off in 1960 famously to lead his own band into uncharted musical territory.

Coltrane hired pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and a little later, bassist Jimmy Garrison, who became longstanding members of his quartet. Coltrane turned to increasingly radical musical styles in the mid-60s. By his final years and after his death from liver cancer at 40 years of age, Coltrane had acquired a near-saintly reputation among fellow musicians for his energetic and selfless support of young avant-garde performers, his spiritualism and peaceful demeanor, and his obsessive, relentless striving for musical ideals and perfection.

A Love Supreme is a gripping four-part suite, the music to which was not shown to the band until they stepped into Rudy Van Gelder's legendary Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio in 1964. Of the four parts, John Coltrane said, "The first is entitled ‘ACKNOWLEDGEMENT,' the second, ‘RESOLUTION,' the third, ‘PURSUANCE,' and last part is a musical narration of the theme, ‘A Love Supreme' which is written in the context; it is entitled 'PSALM.'" Fittingly, A Love Supreme became Trane's most acclaimed recording. So closely identified with its composer, it seldom is performed by other artists.