Turtle Island String Quartet by Hannah
Before reading about the Turtle Island string quartet, I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not. I thought it would probably be some regular quartet that played classical pieces, and hoped that it would be of a high caliber like the Moscow symphony so it would keep my attention. When I found out that they played jazz however, I was both thrilled and nervous at the same time. I had never heard jazz played by only strings before, so I figured it would probably either be really cool sounding or just be classical versions of jazz songs (which would probably be very painful to hear). I was hoping for the former.
Well my fears were eased once they played their first piece which is probably one of my favorites of the ones they played. The playful atmosphere astounded me as they took turns soloing and improvising, almost jumping out of their chairs with excitement. I was even more impressed when the cellist started his solo. I think he was by far my favorite instrumentalist of the group. I loved the way he not only used his cello for “bass-line” purposes or bowing melodies, he also used it as a percussion instrument and was able to integrate it with his other playing. But most of all it was the energy that got me hooked, despite their somewhat awkward sense of humor. Their ability to have fun on stage while doing a great job is what impressed me the most. It definitely has helped me in thinking about my own performance skills. I guess I never realized to the extent I did after this how important it is to have a stage presence.
The talking afterward was also a good experience for me, especially since I discovered that 2 of the men had gone to Berklee College of Music which is a college that I am looking at. It was fun to see the dynamic between the musicians and how they could still have fun with each other after being together for so long. I think it increased my desire to be in a band of my own. It is amazing how the talent of one person can be brought out so much better with the help of others. I would definitely suggest this quartet to any of my jazz-loving friends, and maybe even to my classical music-loving friends. Actually I think I would suggest this quartet to anyone.
Well my fears were eased once they played their first piece which is probably one of my favorites of the ones they played. The playful atmosphere astounded me as they took turns soloing and improvising, almost jumping out of their chairs with excitement. I was even more impressed when the cellist started his solo. I think he was by far my favorite instrumentalist of the group. I loved the way he not only used his cello for “bass-line” purposes or bowing melodies, he also used it as a percussion instrument and was able to integrate it with his other playing. But most of all it was the energy that got me hooked, despite their somewhat awkward sense of humor. Their ability to have fun on stage while doing a great job is what impressed me the most. It definitely has helped me in thinking about my own performance skills. I guess I never realized to the extent I did after this how important it is to have a stage presence.
The talking afterward was also a good experience for me, especially since I discovered that 2 of the men had gone to Berklee College of Music which is a college that I am looking at. It was fun to see the dynamic between the musicians and how they could still have fun with each other after being together for so long. I think it increased my desire to be in a band of my own. It is amazing how the talent of one person can be brought out so much better with the help of others. I would definitely suggest this quartet to any of my jazz-loving friends, and maybe even to my classical music-loving friends. Actually I think I would suggest this quartet to anyone.
posted by ISC On Stage @ 7:43 AM
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