Bijan Taghavi Press Kit
Bios
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High-Resolution Photos
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Bijan Taghavi Trio |
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TrioGram
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Will Lyle (bass),
Bijan Taghavi (piano), Kofi Shepsu (drums) |
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MICHAEL TOLAND REVIEW
"...one of the most refreshing piano trios in some time."
"...one of the most refreshing piano trios in some time."
BASSIST MAGAZINE WRITE-UP
"The effortlessly swinging rapport Lyle achieves with pianist Bijan Taghavi and drummer Kofi Shepsu prevails on everything they choose to play."
"The effortlessly swinging rapport Lyle achieves with pianist Bijan Taghavi and drummer Kofi Shepsu prevails on everything they choose to play."
TEXTURA REVIEW
"...Taghavi's lithe 'Changes' brings the trio's Evans-like side to the fore with a harmonically adventurous waltz that reveals how important each member is to the TrioGram identity."
"...Taghavi's lithe 'Changes' brings the trio's Evans-like side to the fore with a harmonically adventurous waltz that reveals how important each member is to the TrioGram identity."
LONDON JAZZ NEWS
"Bijan’s orchestration on 'Asojano,' I think is great: only he could have come up with that. It’s a highly pentatonic vocal melody. It’s a Yoruba, Afro-Cuban chant, and then he put all this orchestration behind it that makes it a piano-trio-friendly tune, which is not easy. That’s a completely separate skill, and separate from even improvising."
"Bijan’s orchestration on 'Asojano,' I think is great: only he could have come up with that. It’s a highly pentatonic vocal melody. It’s a Yoruba, Afro-Cuban chant, and then he put all this orchestration behind it that makes it a piano-trio-friendly tune, which is not easy. That’s a completely separate skill, and separate from even improvising."
ALLABOUTJAZZ
"Hopskotching through some tricky chordal 'Changes,' bringing some jaunty Americana to the bandstand with the bright highlight of 'Lalyc's Groove'... they make sure the conversation is gripping and the playfulness infectious."
"Hopskotching through some tricky chordal 'Changes,' bringing some jaunty Americana to the bandstand with the bright highlight of 'Lalyc's Groove'... they make sure the conversation is gripping and the playfulness infectious."
JAZZDAGAMA
"...the manner in which these musicians read each other’s musical thoughts, divine each other’s conceptions and respond harmonically and rhythmically to the limitless possibilities of melodic invention, one is easily reminded of the best of... Bill Evans’ Trios."
"[The] musical design is sublime... Textures are often spare. Harmonies are rich. Dramatic tension is high..."
"...the manner in which these musicians read each other’s musical thoughts, divine each other’s conceptions and respond harmonically and rhythmically to the limitless possibilities of melodic invention, one is easily reminded of the best of... Bill Evans’ Trios."
"[The] musical design is sublime... Textures are often spare. Harmonies are rich. Dramatic tension is high..."
After many years of friendship and musical collaboration, bassist Will Lyle and pianist Bijan Taghavi united to create a jazz piano trio project for the age of information: TrioGram.
Their “effortlessly swinging rapport” (Bass Magazine) can be heard on their debut album, "TrioGram", alongside drummer Kofi Shepsu which they recorded in August 2022 at Trading 8s Recording Studios (Paramus, NJ). After recording "...one of the most refreshing piano trio records in some time” (Michael Toland, Big Takeover), Bijan and Will recorded “TrioGram II” ft. Joe LaBarbera at Big City Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA) in July 2023, which is due for release in early 2024.
TrioGram toured Mexico & Southwest USA as part of their February 2023 Pre-Record Release Tour; performances included Jazzatlan (Mexico City), Black Cat (San Francisco, CA), Jazzzolder (Mechelen, Belgium), Clarence Jazz Club (Málaga, Spain), Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center (Los Angeles, CA), The Ravenscroft JazzBird Lounge (Scottsdale, AZ) and Ornithology Jazz Club (New York, NY), and featured special guest drummers Joe LaBarbera, Yorgos Maniatis and Lewis Nash.
The group aims to maintain a cutting edge sensibility combined with a respect for the many eras of jazz as they offer “poetic, swinging originals & incisive takes on cover arrangements" (Bass Magazine). They are equally influenced by the swinging piano trios of the bebop period, impressionistic styles, classical music, Afro-Cuban rhythms and hip hop. Audiences note that "...the manner in which these musicians read each other’s musical thoughts, divine each other’s conceptions and respond harmonically and rhythmically to the limitless possibilities of melodic invention, one is easily reminded of the best of... Bill Evans’ Trios" (JazzDaGama). As sidemen, they have worked with such jazz legends as Dave Kikoski, Rodney Whitaker, Carl Allen, Ralph Peterson, Dick Oatts, Ralph Moore, Bill Cunliffe and Roy McCurdy.
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