Career
Anger played fiddle to David Grisman"s mandolin in The David Grisman Quintet"s (DGQ) 1977 debut. He co-founded the Turtle Island String Quartet with David Balakrishnan in 1985 and performed, composed, and arranged for the chamber jazz group. He frequently collaborates with fellow DGQ alumnus Mike Marshall.
Together they released an early record on Windham Hill, Tideline (1982).
Two years later, they formed a group called The Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie Quintet with Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips, and Andy Narell. This group performed at the 1984 Montreux Jazz Festival.
The quintet later took the name Montreux. After two studio releases, the band broke up in 1990, and Anger continued with the Turtle Island String Quartet, founded in 1985.
Using classical, folk, and jazz music as springboards, he currently leads, founded with Scott Nygaard.
He also co-founded The Duo (with Mike Marshall), Psychograss (the bluegrass group including Mike Marshall, mandolin. Todd Phillips, bass; David Grier, guitar. And Tony Trischka, banjo), Fiddlers Four (with Michael Doucet, Bruce Molsky, violins.
And Rushad Eggleston, cello), and Mr.
Sun (with Joe Walsh, Grant Gordy, and Ethan Jodziewicz). Anger also plays frequently with pianist Philosophy Aaberg.
He has performed or recorded with musicians ranging from Tony Rice, Stephane Grappelli and Mark O"Connor to Marin Alsop, Bill Evans, Nickel Creek, Chris Thile & Punch Brothers, Yonder Mountain String Band, Béla Fleck, Taarka and Anonymous 4. He can also be heard on the National Public Radio"s Carolina Talk theme song.
He is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow.
Anger currently lives in Portland, Maine, after moving from his long-time home in the San Francisco Bay Area. In June 2011 he began teaching online at the Online Fiddle School with Darol Anger, as part of the ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass.