Turtle Island Quartet: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

On a dime they can pivot from classical quartet to jazz combo, complete with a rhythm section. Watch the Grammy-winning members of the Turtle Island Quartet swing and groove at the NPR Music offices.
Set List:
"Model Trane"
"Monkey Business" (from Tree Of Life)
"Groove In
For more videos, visit npr.org/tinydeskconcerts

[@5k33k]

The names of the performers (From Right to Left) David Balakrishnan Mads Tolling Mark Summer Jeremy Kittel

[@milesacquaviva4993]

Left to right :)

[@diatonicfiddler]

This baritone violin is a normal violin strung with double gauge strings so it sounds an 8ve lower. It's kind of sexy. :3 There's another baritone violin made by Carleen Hutchins that I think is tuned the same but has a much larger body and is played like a cello. Also check out the viola profonda, that thing's a beast :D (too much info, sorry to be an annoyance)

[@bobbyberetta4206]

Adam Neely sent me

[@numanuma20]

Me too, but who cares. It got us to listen to great music.

[@filmcrew1551]

Same

[@Arturoperezp]

same here, two years after lol xD

[@mouldyfart]

lmaoo same

[@5amJones69]

Yup yup yup

[@mechellemcbride]

Funny story....I was half asleep 20 mins ago and my son was watching a KZbin video of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Animated which featured this song. I grabbed his tablet to see if the musicians names were listed and now, fully awake, here I am with a new band in my arsenal.

[@LotteStarck]

Holy cow - it's good 'bouncing' on the strings!

[@JnQc13]

After all thoses years, still in my top 3 NPR's TDC

[@littlebego93]

@jaksspring97 That depends on your definition of success. Maybe if all you care about is the money, it's about reaching the mass populace, but to most musicians, they play because it's what they love to do. Who cares if anyone else likes it? Musicians play music because they love music, that's all

[@robertgwatts1858]

Very inspiring! Love these guys.

[@LouisFrayser]

Cello guy, rockin' the house!

[@cvisuali]

Brilliancies in many genres gear busting performance smooth and rough where needed damn 👌 #cvisuali

[@laurenwilliams1767]

They blow my mind.

[@emilymooremusic]

This is awesome. These guys are OG.

[@theafrolion]

This is just but beautiful

[@b1naryfailur3]

I 💙💙💙💙 this!!!! So wonderful

[@b1naryfailur3]

How could anyone NOT like this?!?!!?

[@b1naryfailur3]

+2317jack Oh btw guys, I'm a cellist too!!!

[@b1naryfailur3]

+2317jack Wait, WUT???? they have a CROWD????!!!!!! I didn't know I thought it was a straight 17 minutes incredible

[@Epicasfuk]

Django would be proud ... great job guys

[@PhilipLederer]

great

[@ti2218]

THESE DUDES WENT TO MY SCHOOL YESTERDAY AT SOUTH MILWAUKEE

[@alexverdana2435]

eeeeeeeeee

[@Cathomatic1]

sigh! i LOVE this! I love the Tiny Desk series! I want to perform on it! My kind of crowd!

[@versidale]

Love it!

[@muggeric]

i really liked their last piece. They kind of pull together this sound coming from a gramophone, or an old jazz swing piece.

[@AlamoCityCello]

Mark has a great PIZZ!

[@MM-tn5uk]

Who needs perfect pitch when you have perfect pizz

[@dreandro458]

honestly underated

[@thiagorochamello7897]

Awesome.

[@SLENDERFREAK5127]

Finally, someone realizes what good music is!

[@EdiDrums]

By this you, of course, mean you, me and the Tiny Desk Team

[@leonmougenot]

Nice, Tisq are the best band. (Groove in the Louvre looks like A night in Tunisia, tisq version, so good)

[@avielp]

Fucking brilliant!

[@PeterJBowling]

Is that a 'Night on Bald Mountain' reference at 15:54?

[@grayson9839]

I heard some Shostakovich at 14:35

[@darthmaxo]

Brilliant

[@alexverdana2435]

this kind of sounds like a video game ost.. anyone else?

[@damiester1]

lol Japanese games use this sound a lot.

[@starspain1]

Do you have an open position? I'd love to sit in the office all day listening to life music.

[@jmorga75]

Viola?

[@kilodewey]

Sounds like it is to me.

[@pokebreaker]

I loved the first song they were playing, Model Trane I think. The rest were well played, but not my taste. Not taking anything away from them.

[@Hawaiianon]

I'm not really 14.. I was being sarcastic because I see similar comments on a lot of other music page and I felt like trolling. I don't actually like lady gaga or justin bieber.. but it was just to troll.

[@thunderfoot43]

8:55

[@hugobouma]

How do we explain to Anglophones that there is an R in _Louvre_ and it does NOT rhyme with _groove_ . FFS.

[@rubiksturtle]

Is it seriously called a baritione violin or is it just scordatura?

[@Hawaiianon]

DUDE I'M ONLY 14 AND I FUCKING LOVE THIS MUSIC.. GOD WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE LADY GAGA AND JUSTIN BOOB-ER AND GIVE US BACK COLTRANE AND J.S. BACH!?!?!?!?!? ;D

[@herbertwells8757]

I hope you realize that jazz for string quartet is still a novelty. If you're new to jazz, you shouldn't judge it by something like this.

[@pttj9947]

Herbert Wells it's been a novelty for a long time... i think there needs to be more quartets playing jazz standards in a lead sheet kind of way to make it not a novelty anymore... however, the novelty of being pre-written but having a dramatic change of tempo and pauses (probably inspired from classical upbringing) is what makes it special compared to the standard jazz band group.

[@herbertwells8757]

I didn't find these pieces or these performances very convincing either, actually. Nothing really to take exception to, but they didn't manage to move me.

[@jaksspring97]

kinda boring. all the muscians seemed talented enough...but i admit i'm just not a fan of jazz. Gimme a tune that's less elevator music--more blues emotion. Call me an unsophiscated knuckle-dragger if you want... just keep in mind that musical success is more about reaching simple folks like me, than playing for folks that already "get" it. Grammy winners? Congrats i guess. /shrug

[@rockboot]

It's been 7 years... still not a fan?