Turtle Island, the double GRAMMY® winning quartet that has re-defined chamber jazz for over twenty five years, is joined by the great jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton in a series of concerts that answers the simple question: What inspires us?
This historic collaboration overflows with inspiration. From the moving traditional hymn Wade in the Water to Joni Mitchell’s All I Want to settings of Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and words of Hafiz and Rumi- Poets & Prayers celebrates the muse, in all its forms.
The Turtle Island Quartet has been hailed by The Washington Post for their “excellent precision and musicality.” With numerous awards, including two GRAMMY®’s, and major appearances in the great concert halls of the world, the Turtle Island Quartet continues their long history of collaborations with outstanding guest artists. Tierney Sutton is now included in the ranks of Turtle Island guest artists - a list that also features the Assad Duo, Paquito d’Rivera, Kenny Barron, Stefon Harris, the Ying Quartet, Michael Doucet, and Cyrus Chestnut, among others.
Its name derived from creation mythology found in Native American Folklore, the Turtle Island Quartet, since its inception in 1985, has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and most recently, the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined. Cellist nonpareil Yo-Yo Ma has proclaimed TIQ to be “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground – authentic and passionate – a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.”
Vocalist Tierney Sutton’s celebrated career has included multiple GRAMMY® nominations, appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl, and a series of well regarded recordings. JazzTimes says Sutton's brilliance is her ability to blend seamlessly and The New York Times called her “a pure jazz spirit.”
A three-time Grammy nominee for “Best Jazz Vocal Album”, Tierney Sutton is often described as “a singer’s singer”, but just as often, she is described as a “musician’s singer”, who uses her voice like an instrument. She has fronted the Tierney Sutton Band, which includes stellar partners, pianist Christian Jacob, drummer Ray Brinker and bassists Kevin Axt and Trey Henry, for over 19 years. Both the band’s music and it’s business style make it stand out in the crowd: the band’s members are incorporated partners and make all musical and business decisions as such. Their CDs have consistently topped the US jazz radio charts and their 9th release as a unit, “American Road” was released in Sept 2011. Tierney has been Jazzweek’s Vocalist of the Year, has received the LA Jazz Society’s Vocalist award, and has been at the top of critics and listener’s polls.