Band of Brothers
Talent: Slava and Leonard Grigoryan and Joseph and James Tawadros
Date of release: Until July 28
Date of Review: Saturday, 28 July 2007
Venue: Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
What a wonderful experience, being transported to the imaginary lands of the
Northern African Continent through the virtuosic performance of two pairs of
bothers – Slava and Leonard Grigoryan and Joseph and James Tawadros.

The night began with James and Joseph Tawadros performing a piece of
Egyptian music. James performed rhythmic wonders the entire evening on thetightly
skinned Egyptian tamborine – the Req’. Joseph was relaxed on the Oud and never
once tried to upstage his brother. The brothers were entirely symbiotic!

Joseph invited the classical guitar virtuosos, the Grigoryan brothers, to
stage and they joined forces in a display of improvised and organised genius.
What followed was a beautiful mix of improvised and formulated classical,
traditional and jazz flavoured pieces that showcased each members particular
gifts. Slava even played solid bodied classical through a device that lowered its
pitch to sound like a fretless bass. This added a lovely warmth to the
ensemble’s sound and texture.

I particularly appreciated the band’s arrangement of the Beatles classic
Blackbird. This was a non-traditional approach that drew upon the European
heritage of the Band of Brothers.

Although there was no interval, the length of the show was adequate in my
opinion. If the performance was any longer, I believe it would have been too
much of the same sound for the audience. Although their interesting rhythms and
amazing adherence to complex time signatures was awe-inspiring, it left mea
little dazed towards the end. As a guitarist, I can appreciate the skill and
musicianship of each member of the band, but a little more variety in tempo
and style would have added that extra dimension I was looking for.

Having said that, it was refreshing to be ‘invited’ into the brothers’
space. Joseph was endearing and spoke in a way that ‘Broke the Sound Barriers’ in
the sense that he, and the Grigoryan brothers didn’t seem to take themselves
too seriously. They could laugh and add just enough humour to the performance
to allow the audience to relax. I felt as though I was in their living room
being privileged to experience a family jam-session!
– Wes Taylor

Last Updated: 30/07/2007 8:33:00 AM AEST

© 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation