Mike Marshall with the Turtle Island Quartet

[Larry S Sherman]

So when Mike Marshall plays mandolin with an innovative classical string quartet do you post about it in the Cafe's classical discussion area? Jazz/Choro? Rock? All of the above?

Not sure, but it's an incredible combination!

I had the pleasure of seeing Mike Marshall join the Turtle Island Quartet (http://turtleislandquartet.com/) for an inspiring performance at a private school in Deerfield, MA. The interplay between musicians was magical, the sound excellent, and the kids really got into the performance.

Here's "Egypt"

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Here's a medley of three Brazilian pieces:

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My cheesy camera memory card ran out before I could get any footage of mandocello action (drat!). Mike played an amazing duet of "Julie-O" with cellist Mark Summer, and wowed the crowd with a fierce "Gator Strut".

They closed the show with Robert Johnson/Cream's "Crossroads"...that's right, a smokin' blues/rock standard featuring blazing mandocello riffs, screaming violins/viola, and a growling cello...which was something you certainly don't see every day.

All that and only 5 minutes from my house!

Larry

[Rob Gerety]

Man, I wish I had known about that. I'm down that way all the time for contra dances and I surely would have made the trip for this. Great stuff. Good lord he is a musical guy. You can feel the music pouring out of him like he is singing.

[Dragonflyeye]

Good lord he is a musical guy. You can feel the music pouring out of him like he is singing.

That's so right on, Rob! Just watch how he's actively playing with his whole body, compared to the other musicians. I saw him in Mpls not long ago, and loved watching him, as much as listening to him. I don't even love his recordings so much (have 3); just enjoy the heck out of being in the room with him as he's playing any kind of music. Kind of the way I feel about The Boss.

(Lucky Larry..)


Anita

[Patrick Melly]

Egypt is a very cool tune. Here's a student ensemble (more than 20 mandos) playing Egypt, with Mike as our leader, at the '09 Mandolin Symposium.

http://www.mandotunes.com/mandosym/mandosym2009/marshall.php

[Amy Burcham]

We just saw TIQ with Mike Friday night in performance at the Fox Theatre in Hutchinson, Kansas. It was, first note to last, a fabulous evening, lasting over two hours with one intermission. The show began and ended with works from TIQ's recent Grammy-winning "A Love Supreme," both of which were beautiful. But ah, the in-between!!!

In addition to the pieces Larry mentioned (and the lovely "Egypt" took on some entirely new dimensions in this treatment - I could swear it moved over to India more than once for a few bars), the group performed arrangements of several of the pieces Mike wrote for Mike Marshall's Big Trio (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Mike-Marshalls-Big-Trio/39545640853?ref=ts). This was just magic, especially to anyone who has enjoyed the CD with Mike, Alex Hargreaves, and Paul Kowert performing these tunes. The Trio has evolved them over the past year, recently returning from Mandolines de Lunel - the writing and the beautiful explorations by Mike, Alex, and Paul deserve repeated listenings. In the experienced and ever-fresh hands of TIQ, they have gone to a whole different planet. It was like watching a sculpture emerge - a surge of dual fiddle motion animating the driving main theme of "House Camp" - a gorgeous countermelody floated above "Sweetsmill" - and Mike and Jeremy Kittel, temporarily trading his viola for a fiddle (he's a U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion), took "Little Bears" for a romp that took our breath away.

For us choro lovers, of course, there was the beautiful medley Larry captured (thanks!!!) - arranged by guitarist Carlos Oliveira (http://www.coliveira.com/) - it really brought out the lines of Gonzaga's Gaucho. They also performed Gismonti's Loro, which was popping with fun. The TIQ cellist, Mark Summer, flat blew us away - I have never seen a cellist play like this - he is incredibly versatile, injecting deft and tasteful percussive accents, dancing all over the neck, tone out the ears.

David Balakrishnan has impressed me as a composer willing and able to take string quartet music to new and totally valid places. In getting ready to see TIQ, I've been listening to 30+ years of their CD's. The arrangements are unfailingly good. David's original works are amazing - my personal favorite is "Spider Dreams," from the early '90's. Friday night, the group played a beautiful 3-movement piece.

Turtle Island is making music that in many ways defines what a contemporary string quartet ought to be about. Each one of the players is wonderful. The combination with Mike - the addition of his playing, compelling and multilayered as always, along with these exciting compositions - is a huge treat. Looks like they have several dates booked (http://www.mikemarshall.net/concerts.htm) next year; see them if you possibly can!

[Larry S Sherman]

Nice review Amy-thanks! Sounds like I need to hunt down those other Turtle Island cds.

Larry

[SternART]

Darol Anger is on the earlier ones........

[Rob Gerety]

TIQ's recent Grammy-winning "A Love Supreme," both of which were beautiful.

Is that the Coltrain piece?

[Amy Burcham]

Rob - TIQ named the CD "A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane" after that Coltrane 4-movement piece and include their treatment of it on the CD, but it also includes 9 other TIQ arrangements of tunes - most written by Coltrane (a great version of Naima) but also Thelonious Monk, John McLaughlin, Stanley Clark & Chick Corea.

And yes, as Art mentions, Darol was a founding member - the first 10 years or so of the TIQ body of work features his irreplaceable, ebullient voice. While they stand on their own and are continuing to move forward, the Darol-ness of those first several CD's certainly sprinkled the fairy dust on the whole thing.

[Dan Hoover]

old thread revived...but..i'm going to see them perform tonight in harrisburg..can't wait,i read they're doing some christmas tunes in the show..should be a blast..

[Dan Hoover]

great show last night,my seat kinda sucked,but still pretty good..i've never really listened to the TIQ,i'm a fan now..everyone performed together nicely...very lively..very jazzy..opened w/Hendrix,like i never heard before,very cool..played some Coltrane,their take on "milestones" very cool,played some seasonal songs,ended w/"stolen moments" the only song that i known of theres..i'll be checking their albums out now for sure...
it was a honor to see mike marshall perform.. i'm definitely inspired,but was totally awestruck..those hand's..man,how do you do that?? "gator strut" was insane..
if you get the chance to catch this show,go see it..you'll have a good time,great music.very cool..cheers

[SternART]

"Stolen Moments" is a jazz standard composed by Oliver Nelson. It is a sixteen-bar piece (in an eight-six-two pattern), though the solos are on a conventional minor key 12 bar blues structure. Find the Oliver Nelson CD titled "Blues and the Abstract Truth" from 1961. His septet featured the likes of Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard & Bill Evans. It is a jazz classic that will blow your mind if you aren't already familiar with it. Incredible arranging and playing!!!

[Dan Hoover]

oh yes,great song,i've heard zappa cover this plus the oliver nelson version,the composer's is the best in my mind..never heard the whole album..or other's cover's..
but the TIQ's version is really the only thing i can remember hearing of from them?? other than seeing a you tube vid or few..just never listened to them,i use to have a Windham Hill collection on cassette,i know they were on it?can't remember what though?it's long gone..
i'll have to pick up that cd though..THAT sounds like one i need..i've been coming across so much music that i want to pick up lately,many genre's..it's very overwhelming..that's not including the replacing of half my collection that i've lost the last 25 years or so..it's funny,i just came home from the market w/5 old records..:grin:
thank's for bringing it up...cheers

[Doug Hoople]

"Stolen Moments" is a jazz standard composed by Oliver Nelson. It is a sixteen-bar piece (in an eight-six-two pattern), though the solos are on a conventional minor key 12 bar blues structure. Find the Oliver Nelson CD titled "Blues and the Abstract Truth" from 1961. His septet featured the likes of Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard & Bill Evans. It is a jazz classic that will blow your mind if you aren't already familiar with it. Incredible arranging and playing!!!

I LOVE Stolen Moments, and have always been surprised that it's not a standard jam tune. So many possibilities, and the solo section in minor blues means that most players could put together a respectable solo break for it.

It was while watching TIQ in SF that I became re-acquainted with this fabulous tune. Their arrangement is tasty, and their timing and articulation are the stuff of dreams.