The Turtle Island String Quartet is a San Francisco Bay Area based jazz string quartet formed in 1985 and still actively touring worldwide and recording as of 2006. They were the first string quartet to achieve artistic and commercial success integrating jazz improvisation, jazz rhythms and comping using extended techniques. Their extensive repertoire consists primarily of compositions and arrangements by quartet members that highlight their versatility by bridging several styles including Bluegrass, European classical music, funk, jazz, Latin American music, and Indian classical music. Founded by fiddler Darol Anger and violinist/composer David Balakrishnan with cellist Mark Summer, they became known for their renditions of jazz standards, such as their Grammy-nominated arrangement of "A Night In Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Stolen Moments" by Oliver Nelson, or "Blue Rondo a la Turk" by Dave Brubeck; as well as for jazz interpretations of famous classical music pieces, as shown on the humorously titled "Bach's Lunch." The quartet has also covered rock and roll pieces, such as Jimi Hendrix's "Gypsy Eyes."

www.tisq.com