TRIOGRAM
The effortlessly swinging rapport of bassist Will Lyle, pianist Bijan Taghavi and drummer Kofi Shepsu prevails on everything they choose to play. Uniting as the new collective TrioGram, the three offer a new and refreshing view of their complete musicianship on an eponymous debut release featuring three Lyle originals, two by Taghavi, plus uplifting interpretations of songs by Victor Young (“Street of Dreams”), Irving Berlin (“How Deep Is the Ocean”), ’90s pop star Dido (“Thank You”) and the Afro-Cuban folkloric fusion ensemble Los Hermanos Arango (“Asojano”).
An upright and electric bassist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and producer from Orange County, California, Will Lyle released his debut L.A. Source Codes in 2021, featuring the likes of Bob Sheppard, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Roy McCurdy and Jon Mayer (“the shared sense of purpose elevates the proceedings with a fiery chemistry” — Bass Musician). Lyle recently earned his master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with 1961 MSM alumnus and faculty member Ron Carter. Before coming to MSM in 2020, he toured with the Ralph Peterson Fo’tet as well as drummer Billy Kilson’s quartet. He has collaborated with David Kikoski, Lawrence Leathers, Kendrick Scott, Roy McCurdy (Cannonball Adderley alumnus), Ralph Moore, Pasquale Grasso, Bill Cunliffe, Ron Escheté and Barbara Morrison, among others, and is currently a member of master hard-bop pianist Jon Mayer’s trio. His playing with TrioGram bristles with harmonic nuance and intimate lyricism, synthesizing all the knowledge he’s gained from these venerated sources.
Lyle wrote “Esau,” he says, as “a reflection of the times we live in: intense, erratic, yet soulful. The old ways erode, as the future emerges.” His “Ezra” is a beautiful and flowing piece with harmony “dedicated to the mystical and unsaid,” while the brief “Trap” was conceived with “the groove of our time” in mind, a slow and undulating rhythmic feel ubiquitous in contemporary hip-hop, highly amenable to quasi-replication with live instruments. Taghavi, in addition to his captivating pianism throughout, contributes two superb originals: the harmonically involved waltz “Changes” dedicated to his mentor Robert Estrin, and the playful “Lalyc’s Groove,” titled after Taghavi’s nickname for the leader.
CURRENT RELEASE
