Mike - 11-25-2007 at 07:15 PM
BAND OF BROTHERS: Slava and Leonard Grigoryan + Joseph and James Tawadros at The Egyptian Consulate, Sydney
Four brothers from two families and three continents band together for ONE and ONLY exhilarating Sydney performance that promises to cross musical
boundaries and create a unique and exciting collaboration.
Guitar virtuosos Slava and Leonard Grigoryan pair up with the extraordinarily talented oud and req' virtuosos Joseph and James Tawadros for a musical
exploration of diverse global influences.
More Info:
When: Sunday, 16th December 2007, 4pm
Where: The Egyptian Consulate, Sydney
Address: Level 3, 241 Commonwealth Street,
Surry Hills (off Foveaux St, near Central Station)
Tickets: $25 full / $20 concession
Bookings: email - joe@josephtawadros.com
WWW.JOSEPHTAWADROS.COM
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JOSEPHTAWADROS
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JAMESTAWADROS
WWW.SLAVAGRIGORYAN.COM
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SLAVAGRIGORYAN
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LEONARDGRIGORYAN
BAND OF BROTHERS CONCERT REVIEW: ABC, BRISBANE
What a wonderful experience, being transported to the imaginary lands of the Northern African Continent through the virtuosic performance of two
pairs of brothers - 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 the
tightly 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. Their interesting rhythms and amazing adherence to complex time
signatures was awe-inspiring.
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!
DONT MISS THIS ONE OFF SYDNEY SHOW!!!!!