Turtle Island Quartet performs

Lakewood Cultural Center presents Turtle Island Quartet 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22   Tickets starting at $18, www.Lakewood.org/LCCPresents, 303-987-7845 or at the Box Office   Two-time GRAMMY® winning Turtle Island Quartet returns to Lakewood to present Birth of the Cool. Reaching for lyricism, gentler textures and cool jazz, the program is based on the seminal Miles Davis recording of 1957.   The living embodiment of cool, Miles Davis and his colleagues, Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, etc., set the table for a slew of legendary groups that shared their vision. From the Modern Jazz Quartet and Gunther Schuller of third stream music to the West Coast sounds of the Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond to the iconoclastic melodic lines of pianist Lennie Tristano, their particular brand of innovative genius echoed into the myriad jazz fusion blends of the ‘70s and ‘80s.   In addition to employing their signature groove-based rhythmic techniques to transform classic selections from the recording of “Birth of the Cool” such as “Israel,” “Venus De Milo” and “Jeru” into jazz string quartet masterpieces,Turtle Island Quartet will take a wide swath through the many other avenues traversed by these intrepid explorers of cool. Perennial favorites such as Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo A La Turk” and Gerry Mulligan’s “Bernie’s Tune” conjoin with Miles Davis’ dreamy “Miles Ahead” and the Modern Jazz Quartet’s darker “Django.” The program will also feature original compositions that share the cross genre musical stamp endemic to this hallowed mode of jazz music-making. ?The Turtle Island Quartet derived its name from creation mythology found in Native American folklore. Since its inception in 1985, the quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold new trends for strings.   The Turtle Island Quartet includes founders David Balakrishnan (violin, baritone violin) and Mark Summer (cello) along with newest members Mateusz Smoczynski (violin) and Benjamin von Gutzeit (viola). For more information, visit www.turtleislandquartet.com.   Tickets are available at 303-987-7845, www.Lakewood.org/LCCPresents and the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office, 470 S. Allison Parkway (Wadsworth and West Alameda Avenue).