Turtle Island String Quartet

One of the Bay Area’s most coveted possessions, the Turtle Island String Quartet presents renditions of jazz that drip with passion, vigor, creativity, and talent. Those lucky enough to hear their recent concert with guest pianist Kenny Barron witnessed their love of music first hand. Over the course of two hours, TISQ played a variety of pieces by Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Kenny Barron, and many others. The second half of the program largely consisted of “Infusion”, a four-movement piece written by TISQ themselves. The four-movement work combined jazz and classical perfectly—it was structured in the way a classical genre quartet typically is, but allowed room for improvised solos. Cellist Mark Summer dutifully covers the cello, bass, and drum parts of the works, but everyone in the group routinely contributes percussive nuances. Whether it be playing at the frog and directly over the bridge, playing the instrument like a drum, or playing a rhythmic pizzicato line, TISQ has the percussion thing all figured out. Melodies and harmonies are passed around evenly between the members of the group, and Barron’s added texture made the performance more enjoyable than ever.

Though extremely polished and talented, the most amazing aspect of their playing is the passion they put into it. From the second-to-last row in the balcony I could see, feel, and hear TISQ’s love of music. The rarity of an occurrence like this is astounding. As a musician enters the professional and therefore cut-throat-competitive world, music becomes a tool for survival, not a love. With this harsh situation, the passion often dies. Hearing the stories of how a person used to love their musical vocation is gut wrenching. From the first note they played, it was obvious that this topic would never arise in a conversation with a member of the Turtle Island String Quartet.

Hearing jazz in a traditional string quartet format is amazing, and there truly is nothing like it. The jazz string quartet combines the fun, catchy, rhythmic, and improvisational aspects of jazz with the timbre, full-bodied harmonization, and intimacy of a classical quartet. This perfect combination of the best of both worlds is a must-hear for everyone, and the Turtle Island String Quartet is as polished and passionate as they come.