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Last Saturday at the Lakewood Cultural Center, the Turtle Island Quartet wowed the audience with a program of music entitled, "A Love Supreme: The Music of John Coltrane."

Formed in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet is known for the unique distinction of fusing classical/chamber styles with contemporary music, and doing it in such a way that it is actually believable--a distinction that has garnered two Grammy awards for Best Classical Crossover. While the main focus is on a blend of classical and jazz, the quartet has successfully integrated rock, hip-hop, bluegrass, funk, and even world music into its repertoire.  This successful fusion of the traditional and modern is owing to its two original members, David Balakrishnan (violin, baritone violin), the group's primary composer/arranger; and Mark Summer (cello), who focuses on working the arrangements into a solid performance. The two other members, Mads Tolling (violin) and Jeremy Kittel (viola), are also award-winning instrumentalists in their own right. The group's performances are crafted using a blend of written arrangements and jazz charts coupled with the musicians' improvisational skills--a true fusion of classical and jazz.

To honor both jazz and classical traditions, the first half of Saturday's program was announced song by song from a microphone by quartet members, while the second half was printed in the program--with a brief intermission in between.  Part one consisted of several jazz selections, a David Balakrishnan original, and a four-part rock suite derived from the music of Jimi Hendrix--complete with amazing Hendrix-style riffs played flawlessly on violins to the point that they nearly sounded like electric guitars.  The second half of the program focused chiefly on John Coltrane's music, including his four-part "A Love Supreme" scored for string quartet.  The group maintained a relaxed attitude throughout the program, even joking with one another (Tolling and Kittel playfully strummed Joplin's "The Entertainer" at one point while David Balakrishnan tried to tune his instrument). Yet throughout the evening, the musicianship was flawless, and hearing recognizable rock riffs played by a string quartet, you almost couldn't help but smile.  The group left the stage to a standing ovation, and came back for an encore, choosing to play (almost as a final "stick-it-to-the-man")..."Hey Joe" from Jimi Hendrix.  An amazing night of music from amazing performers.

Turtle Island Quartet: Reinventing and Revolutionizing

(This post supplements the article above)

Before I was the kind of guy who listens to (and likes) my kid’s music, I was classically trained in piano and was a composition major in college. (My profound apologies to my instructors–you did the best you could. And for you young whippersnappers who are thinking about skipping this blog post because it’s gonna be [kind of] about classical music instead of modern rock or indie bands…read on.  You might actually learn something.)

The classical string quartet (two violins, viola and cello) has been around for over 200 years, but many people don’t realize that this musical form was revolutionary in its day.  Popularized by great composers like Haydn in the 1700s, string quartet players often relied on improvisation as well as an ability to read and interpret music scores.  It was essentially the “jazz” of their day.

In our time, one group in particular has successfully reinvented the string quartet as a modern, progressive art form.  That group is the Turtle Island Quartet, who played a tribute to John Coltrane Saturday night at the Lakewood Cultural Center.  What makes this quartet unique is that they play a successful fusion between classical chamber music and contemporary music.  When I say “successful”, I mean it is no joke, no novelty, no gimmick.  I mean these guys make it sound like jazz and rock were meant to be played by two violins, viola and cello.  And in their time they’ve also incorporated styles like bluegrass, world music, R&B and even hip-hop into their chamber-music format.

This was my first time hearing this quartet, and I have to tell you it was nothing short of amazing to hear four classical string instruments playing improvisational jazz– and really good jazz at that.  As if that weren’t enough, midway through the first half of the program, they announced that they were going to play a selection from their upcoming record, a four-part suite of classic rock–by Jimi Hendrix.  If the thought of that makes you laugh, try to imagine hearing a violin or viola imitating the electric guitar riffs of the legend himself, every nuance and arpeggio and rock lick in place–and you’ll stop laughing and just start smiling.  What is most amazing about this quartet is that it really works.  They make it work, and they make you take them seriously by their outstanding musicianship–which, by the way, has earned them two Grammys so far.

Not only did I have the privilege of hearing these guys play, but I also had the privilege of sitting down with the two original members, David Balakrishnan (violin, baritone violin) and Mark Summer (cello). In talking with them, I discovered that Turtle Island Quartet is the brainchild of composer/arranger Balakrishnan, whose love for both classical and jazz prompted him to try and blend the two in his compositions.  It is essentially the teamwork of Balakrishnan (who oversees composition) and Summer (who oversees the implementation of the arrangements) that makes this combination work so well.  Their passion for these various styles of music drives them to blend the traditional and modern into something that must be taken seriously–and thus far, no one has really duplicated their efforts.

Balakrishnan and Summer never said as much in our conversation, but really, the music of Turtle Island Quartet is sending a message.  Whether intentional or not, the message is this: Hendrix is just as legitimate as Haydn. The music of Coltrane is just as legitimate as that of Mozart.  By putting serious rock and jazz into a 200-year-old musical framework, they are legitimizing the music our grandparents and great-grandparents once dismissed as “noise”.  In so doing, Turtle Island Quartet has actually done more than just reinvent the string quartet–they’ve made it revolutionary all over again.

And that’s why I’m digressing today from talking about modern bands and artists to talk about Turtle Island Quartet–because many of the musicians we follow today because they are “revolutionary” will be looked upon as the legends and masters of tomorrow.  Great musicianship and great writing are timeless, regardless of the genre or style.

So even if you aren’t the type who is into classical music, you ought to pay these guys a little respect–because in a way, they are legitimizing the music you love today.  If you ever get the chance, go see Turtle Island Quartet perform.  No matter what kind of music you’re into, you will be enriched by the experience.