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TAARKA features the compositions of David Tiller and Enion Pelta-Tiller (see below). TAARKA currently features Dale L'argent on groovin' percussion, and Jason Flores (Taarka, Vagabond Opera) or Damian Erskine (Scott Law Band, Everyone Orchestra Core-Tet). These talented musicians lend their diverse skills to the music, to create a powerful show that's a little different every time.
TAARKA and its members have shared stages with Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, John Fishman, members of String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, David Grisman, Darol Anger, Danny Barnes, Steve Kimock, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band and Garaj Mahal, to name a few, and has performed to great response at numerous West Coast Festivals including the High Sierra Music Festival, Seattle¹s Bumbershoot Festival, and the Oregon Country Fair.
David Tiller began playing guitar at age 8, spurred on by his musician father. His childhood in Virginia was spent learning the abundance of bluegrass and Celtic music there, but by age 14 he was enriching his knowledge with classical and jazz guitar training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, and began exploring the mandolin. With a diligent practice schedule and great aspirations, David took on the mandolin full time in his late teens, and was a founding member of the celebrated High Sierra Festival Record label's band ThaMuseMeant, based in New Mexico. In ThaMuseMeant's 8 year history, they toured all over the United States, sharing stages with the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow, Ricki Lee Jones, Blues Traveler, String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, YMSB, Greg Brown, and many others. In 2000, when the band broke up, David moved to NYC to follow his heart and study jazz, where he met Enion Pelta in Brooklyn Browngrass. They began writing together and formed the group Taarka to feature their music.
Enion Pelta-Tiller began classical violin studies at age 3, but her education was always supplemented by improvisation lessons from her jazz guitarist father. By 16 she had taught herself to compose impromptu melodies in styles from classical sonatas to East Indian ragas and jazz standards. She attended Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD, working towards a viola performance degree, while also studying english at Johns Hopkins. She, eventually landing in NYC, where she performed cutting edge music straddling punk, free jazz, and classical with various local musicians, and landed a gig with the crown prince of Hungary's New Wave music scene, Menyhart Jeno, as the violinist in Mr Con and the Bioneers. She traveled to Hungary in the summer of 2001 to play the main stage at the Pepsi Sziget, Europe's largest music festival, playing immediately before Run DMC and Morcheeba. Upon her return she focused more on composing and performing the music she and David had been working on together, and the two decided to make a life of it. Enion has shared stages (literally) with Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick of the Grateful Dead, Darol Anger of fiddle fame, and many others.
Bassist Jason Flores There is a saying in Eastern Europe that Turks and Bulgarians are born with one leg shorter than the other. This theory explains why most of their dances are in 7/8, 9/8, and other lopsided time signatures. We can¹t say whether or not this fact is true for the Turks. However, we can tell you that bassist Jason Flores was born with one short leg. This biological fact is thought to explain his lifelong attraction to both left leaning time signatures and politics. Jason studied jazz composition, music theory, and world philosophy at the University of New Mexico before leaving to pursue a wider spectrum of musical interests. Jason¹s previous flirtation with Middle Eastern and Balkan music became focused when he met Armenian American master clarinetist Souren Baronian in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jason learned much of the nuts and bolts of Turkish/Armenian music and rhythm from Baronian¹s workshops and concerts. Jason has spent his time since moving to Portland, Oregon in 2000 studying, transcribing, and performing ethnic music and gypsy jazz, His original compositions combine these eclectic influences. . . He has also backed up Master Armenian dancer and musician, Tom Bozigian and performed with oudist Peter Koury ( Of the legendary George Abdo's "Flames of Araby") Jason's other current projects include the bohemian balkan bellydance cabaret ensemble Vagabond Opera, and the Bebop meets bellydance fusion group HAZZ HAZZ HULU.
See Bassist Damian Erskine's website for his bio.
Dale Largent, Handdrums and percussion (Chicago, Illinois) Dale's been a musician since before he was born. He took up percussion in utero, and he's never looked back. He plays or has played other instruments too, but with Dale it's the pulse of percussion that gets his heart pumping and turns his creativity loose. In spite of his classical training and proficiency on many percussion instruments, Dale has focused the last 10 years strictly on handdrums. Though still fairly young, Dale's developed a large and growing reputation as a performer, teacher, studio sideman, and advocate for the arts. He's shared the stage and/or recorded with many artists and is a founding artist in COYO and Cadence3. He's studied with world-renowned masters Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konate, Souhail Kaspar, Babatunde Olatunji, and Souren Baronian. Dale's a family fellow, sharing life with his wife Barb (a visual artist) and their two kids, Erica and Ben. He lives in Bend, Oregon, a thriving high desert town which, while not yet a hotbed of world music, probably will be by the time Dale gets through.
TAARKA and its members have shared stages with Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, John Fishman, members of String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, David Grisman, Darol Anger, Danny Barnes, Steve Kimock, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band and Garaj Mahal, to name a few, and has performed to great response at numerous West Coast Festivals including the High Sierra Music Festival, Seattle¹s Bumbershoot Festival, and the Oregon Country Fair.
David Tiller began playing guitar at age 8, spurred on by his musician father. His childhood in Virginia was spent learning the abundance of bluegrass and Celtic music there, but by age 14 he was enriching his knowledge with classical and jazz guitar training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, and began exploring the mandolin. With a diligent practice schedule and great aspirations, David took on the mandolin full time in his late teens, and was a founding member of the celebrated High Sierra Festival Record label's band ThaMuseMeant, based in New Mexico. In ThaMuseMeant's 8 year history, they toured all over the United States, sharing stages with the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow, Ricki Lee Jones, Blues Traveler, String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, YMSB, Greg Brown, and many others. In 2000, when the band broke up, David moved to NYC to follow his heart and study jazz, where he met Enion Pelta in Brooklyn Browngrass. They began writing together and formed the group Taarka to feature their music.
Enion Pelta-Tiller began classical violin studies at age 3, but her education was always supplemented by improvisation lessons from her jazz guitarist father. By 16 she had taught herself to compose impromptu melodies in styles from classical sonatas to East Indian ragas and jazz standards. She attended Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD, working towards a viola performance degree, while also studying english at Johns Hopkins. She, eventually landing in NYC, where she performed cutting edge music straddling punk, free jazz, and classical with various local musicians, and landed a gig with the crown prince of Hungary's New Wave music scene, Menyhart Jeno, as the violinist in Mr Con and the Bioneers. She traveled to Hungary in the summer of 2001 to play the main stage at the Pepsi Sziget, Europe's largest music festival, playing immediately before Run DMC and Morcheeba. Upon her return she focused more on composing and performing the music she and David had been working on together, and the two decided to make a life of it. Enion has shared stages (literally) with Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick of the Grateful Dead, Darol Anger of fiddle fame, and many others.
Bassist Jason Flores There is a saying in Eastern Europe that Turks and Bulgarians are born with one leg shorter than the other. This theory explains why most of their dances are in 7/8, 9/8, and other lopsided time signatures. We can¹t say whether or not this fact is true for the Turks. However, we can tell you that bassist Jason Flores was born with one short leg. This biological fact is thought to explain his lifelong attraction to both left leaning time signatures and politics. Jason studied jazz composition, music theory, and world philosophy at the University of New Mexico before leaving to pursue a wider spectrum of musical interests. Jason¹s previous flirtation with Middle Eastern and Balkan music became focused when he met Armenian American master clarinetist Souren Baronian in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jason learned much of the nuts and bolts of Turkish/Armenian music and rhythm from Baronian¹s workshops and concerts. Jason has spent his time since moving to Portland, Oregon in 2000 studying, transcribing, and performing ethnic music and gypsy jazz, His original compositions combine these eclectic influences. . . He has also backed up Master Armenian dancer and musician, Tom Bozigian and performed with oudist Peter Koury ( Of the legendary George Abdo's "Flames of Araby") Jason's other current projects include the bohemian balkan bellydance cabaret ensemble Vagabond Opera, and the Bebop meets bellydance fusion group HAZZ HAZZ HULU.
See Bassist Damian Erskine's website for his bio.
Dale Largent, Handdrums and percussion (Chicago, Illinois) Dale's been a musician since before he was born. He took up percussion in utero, and he's never looked back. He plays or has played other instruments too, but with Dale it's the pulse of percussion that gets his heart pumping and turns his creativity loose. In spite of his classical training and proficiency on many percussion instruments, Dale has focused the last 10 years strictly on handdrums. Though still fairly young, Dale's developed a large and growing reputation as a performer, teacher, studio sideman, and advocate for the arts. He's shared the stage and/or recorded with many artists and is a founding artist in COYO and Cadence3. He's studied with world-renowned masters Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konate, Souhail Kaspar, Babatunde Olatunji, and Souren Baronian. Dale's a family fellow, sharing life with his wife Barb (a visual artist) and their two kids, Erica and Ben. He lives in Bend, Oregon, a thriving high desert town which, while not yet a hotbed of world music, probably will be by the time Dale gets through.
Website: http://www.taarka.com/