Tavitjan Brothers Trio: Tavitjan Brothers Trio (2004)

Jerry D'Souza

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2001

From Bombay, India to Indianapolis, Indiana via Toronto!

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Published: July 25, 2004

Tavitjan Brothers Trio: Tavitjan Brothers Trio

There is an easy familiarity with the music that the Tavitjan Brothers Trio chose for their debut album. The actual brothers, Diran on piano and Garo on drums, have Dragan Trajkovski on bass to forge links with some high profile standards. Included on this live set is an original, which brings the curtain down on their adventure.

It is obvious that the band has been widely influenced. And while the objects of their affection drive their spirit, they also tend to overwhelm them a bit. A live setting is a vantage point to play for an audience that comes in with expectations, and judging from the response, those expectations were not belied. But there is one derivative that clouds the experience and that is the pianist's penchant for notes. He goes into overdrive often, loosening an array without the punctuation that would give the tune its lifeblood.

Take "Giant Steps," where the mood is translucent in its unravelling, an open-ended melodic landscape filled with bright splashes. It skims along nicely enough, but the pause and sustain that would have brought in character are bypassed. That said, it cannot be denied that Diran has harmonic ideas that flow easily. In letting that happen the music works on a pastel-shaded level, which augurs well enough for "Caravan" and a charged "Autumn Leaves." There is a tighter skein to "Groovestix," and as the name would warrant, a rhythmically dynamic turn from Trajkovski.

Track Listing: Green Dolphin Street; Caravan; Autumn Leaves; Body & Soul; Giant Steps; My Prince; Solar; Groovestix

Personnel: Diran Tavitjan--piano; Garo Tavitjan--drums; Dragan Trajkovski--bass

Record Label: Paramecium
Style: Straight-ahead/Mainstream