David
Tiller and Enion Pelta have been on their musical journey as a
violin and mandolin duet for nearly two years. They met in New
York in the spring of 2001, while playing in Brooklyn Browngrass,
a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, based band. After spending some time
honing their duet act in the subways of the city, they traveled
across the country to Portland, OR, to form Taarka,
with percussionist Jarrod Kaplan and bassist James Whiton. They
still continued to work as a duo, performing original works composed
by both musicians, and interpretations of traditional music from
a variety of musical cultures - celtic, bluegrass, gypsy, and
hungarian and indian folk. Following the example of the powerful
duo violin and mandolin of Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, they
create a sound that is both compelling in its composition, rhythm,
and fullness. They have performed and shared stages with nationally
known artists David Grisman, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Tim O'Brien,
Danny Barnes, David Lindley, the Yonder Mountain String Band,
Leftover Salmon, and many others.
Their debut release as a duet, "Man Chasing Woman Around
Table," is a full-length album featuring compositions by
both members of the duet, some of which feature acclaimed local
(Portland) and national musicians. The disc, recorded and co-produced
by Billy Oskay, a former Windham Hill artist and producer, is
a warm-sounding, high-quality recording that captures the wild
energy and exploratory spirit that they give to their music.
Both David and Enion have been dedicated musicians for over 20
years. David was trained as a classical guitarist before discovering
that he was actually a mandolinist in his teenage years. After
a brief stint as a professional visual artist, he began to educate
himself on all things mandolin, from the Irish and bluegrass music
he found in his native state of Virginia to the jazz that drives
his compostion. He was a professor of mandolin at the College
of Santa Fe while living in New Mexico, and continues to teach
in Portland. Enion was trained as a classical violinist and violist
from a very young age, attending the San Francisco Conservatory
and the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. She learned about jazz,
improvisation and musical diversity from her parents. David's
previous projects include being a founding member of the well-touted
group ThaMuseMeant,
for 8 years. Enion performed with Mr. Con and The Bioneers, Edison
Woods, Anti-Social Chamber Music, The Empty Hats, the avant-garde
free math jazz rock project Area Code with members of Shy Child
- all in the same year. Currently, beyond their duet performances,
they continue to do a variety of things. David performs with Danny
Barnes and Enion plays with local group Vagabond Opera, when Taarka
is not in session.
