Photo by Anne Dickinson Hayunga
Please use this photo for all publicity.
The word about Taarka, abroad and at home
Reviews of the new album are starting to come in!
Westword, in Denver, CO, says it's "jaunty and precise, yet beguilingly enigmatic." Cool! Read the whole thing here. The Willamette Week in Portland has this to say.
EVEN ODD BIRD #4 IN TOP
FIVE ALBUMS OF 2005 FROM FNNATION.COM (FRANCE)
A TRANSLATION OF AN ARTICLE FROM THE POLISH FOLK
JOURNAL FOLKOWA (Provided by Meier Pelta)
“Fans
of David Grisman or early Bela Fleck should love this second release from Taarka…
This CD covers all bases for the jazzgrass, folk, or new acoustic fan, and
should appeal to all those who appreciate joyful musical diversity, sweet
melodies, and solid musicianship.”
“Tiller
and Pelta compliment each other as well, each providing nice backgrounds to the
other’s solos. Pelta is perhaps the crown jewel of Taarka, as her playing is
virtuosity in action. She can play absolutely haunting melodies, but also can
rain pure bliss on audiences. Tiller uses his mandolin more as a classical
instrument than a bluegrass one . While he can get down home at times, it seems
Tiller approaches his instrument more as an entity with a mind of its own, and
thus he does not fall prey to too many influences other than his own unique
vision. Tiller’s mandolin style is one of the most original I’ve heard.”
Matt Zeigler, Flagstaff Live
(Flagstaff, AZ), Published Oct. 21, 2002, from Taarka Grooves: Take a trip
through world music feature article
“[Taarka’s]
performance was a high-energy romp filled with jubilant peaks and
breath-catching valleys, sudden impeccably calculated tempo changes, crescendos
and mysterious explorations”
“Taarka
– acoustic, classic, intelligent and funky as the proverbial motherfucker…an
ensemble of classical, jazz, and folk musicians who use their skills and
healthy dose of creativity to create music unlike anything you’ve ever heard.”
James Barone, Synthesis (Chico, CA),
Published Nov. 11, 2002, from The Goods teaser for Taarka feature and interview
“Taarka
is the name of one of acoustic music’s hottest up-and-coming bands. Taarka
might be best described as an acoustic supergroup….imagine Django Reinhardt
playing with David Grisman. Taarka trods the back alleyways of gypsy music and
twirls through fields of bluegrass, all the while swinging like the hippest of
jazz cats. Their music takes us through a range of human emotion, from
melancholy and sorrow to joy and rapture…[they focus] all their energy on a
breathless synergy of sounds…culminating in an intensity rarely found in
acoustic music.”
Matt Zeigler, Flagstaff Live
(Flagstaff, AZ), Published Oct. 21, 2002, from Taarka Grooves: Take a trip
through world music feature article
“The
compositions on “Man Chasing Woman [Around Table]”…are as beautiful, daring,
and strange as should be expected from such immense talent…Highest
recommendation possible.”
Aaron Shakra, Oregon Daily Emerald
(Eugene, OR), Published Apr. 3, 2003, from Musical Talent, Emotions Abound on
“Chasing” feature, Review of Man Chasing Woman Around Table (2003)
“Fans
of Bela Fleck will enjoy the masterful playing and eclectic compositions this
first effort [Taarka Live in the Studio (2002)].”
Greg Keidan, Jambase.com, Published Oct. 16, 2002, fromTaarka:
Seismic Gypsy Hypno-Jazz feature
“Taarka
began driving the painted and costumed crowd into a dancing frenzy…they
combined Roma, Klezmer and jazz, infusing their rousing and exciting tunes with
breakneck Zappa-esque breakdowns and insurmountable gusto. Regardless of your
particular musical tastes, Taarka is a band that simply must be witnessed.”
Maurice S. Teilman, Synthesis (Chico,
CA), from Music section, Review of July 10, 2004 performance at Oregon Country
Fair
“Taarka
is like a drunken cross-cultural wedding party where the bride’s family is a
bunch of bluegrass-loving back-to-the-landers and the groom’s crew is composed
mostly of vodka-swilling Ukrainian bandits. Good times, people, good times.”
Zack Dundas, Willamette Week (Portland,
OR), Published May 7, 2003, from Music and Nightlife weekly picks
“Col.
Bruce Hampton was one of the many new fans the band gained at the High Sierra
Festival – I heard him say they were the best band at the fest (excluding, I
assumed, the Code Talkers).”
Greg Keidan, Jambase.com, Published Oct. 16, 2002, , from
Taarka: Seismic Gypsy Hypno-Jazz feature
“The
band was able to manipulate their sound across a spectrum, ranging from Celtic
Honky-Tonk, to a a sort of Calypso-Klezmer, to tango, to Turkish folk music and
then back to a bluegrassy jazz reminiscent of Bela Fleck & The
Flecktones…pure instrumental talent.”
Coby Zeifman, West Coast Performer Magazine (OR, WA, CA), Published
Jan. 2006, from West Coast Performer Live Reviews feature, Review of Dec 2,
2005 performance at the W.O.W. Hall (w/ Drew Emmitt Band)
“Taarka
shows that instrumental music isn’t just about technique. Even Odd Bird has the depth to
transport the listener to extraordinary landscapes…”
Erika Fredrickson, The Missoula
Independent (Missoula, MT), Published on April 20, 2006, Noise CD Reviews,
Review of Even Odd Bird (2004)
“These
spellbinding significant others will sizzle you with a stringed jig.”
Nicole Browner, The California Aggie
(Davis, CA), Published July 12, 2007, from Artsweek section
“…in
Taarka their [David Tiller and Enion Pelta-Tiller] compositional genius shines
across the grandiose sheath of the American musical landscape…Their
performances are fit for the main stage at High Sierra as well as orchestral
centers worldwide, including Carnegie Hall.”
Marc Tonglen, The Mountain Ear (Nederland, CO), Published Oct.
25, 2007, from The Taarka Duo: Fresh and Beyond Compare feature article in
Mountain Music section
“Imagine a collision of Django Reinhardt
and David Grisman…and you’ll get the idea.”
Silke Tudor, SF Weekly, San Francisco,
CA, Published Jan. 14, 2004, From House of Tudor weekly picks
“Basically,
Taarka’s music is as apt to mesmerize as it is to prompt dancefloor-wrecking
boogieing.”
The Source Weekly (Bend, OR),
Published Sept. 8, 2005, from Our Picks Pick of the Week
“On
their newest studio release, Even Odd Bird, Taarka continues to refine and flesh out their twisting
compositional music, introducing funk to traditional music from the east. The
word for this goes way beyond fusion. If they didn’t know what they were doing,
this kind of play could get dangerous…but rest assured ladies and gents, the
music is in the hands of ascending masters”
Jodie Buller, The Northwest Sun
(Bellingham, WA), Published Mar. 18, 2004, from TAARKA feature article and
interview
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