When I watched this DVD from Chilean prog rock band Tryo, it strongly reminded me of the DVD from the Spanish Difícil Equilibrio which I’d seen a couple of weeks earlier. On their DVD Live Tiana 2008 (see review) we also see a band very much influenced by King Crimson. However, Tryo has the capability to sound differently on all tracks. The music of the Spanish musicians sound way too monotonous; almost every piece sounds alike. They also try to give their music an impulse by playing covers from their idols. This is not the case during the performance of Tryo at the Rock Symphony For The Record Festival in Brazil. The three musicians are thoroughly grounded in music; in their daily lives they’re music teachers and all three are masters on their instrument. Ismael Cortez is an excellent guitar player. It doesn’t matter whether he plays the acoustic or the electric guitar. Besides his skills on the guitar he also has a strong voice. His brother Francisco Cortez plays the bass guitar and the cello and every now and then he also sings. Felix Carbone is responsible for the rhythms by playing the drums, the vibraphone and many other percussion instruments. They are working together since 1987 and until now they have released five albums. Their latest release is the acoustic album Viajes of which they perform a considerable part during their two hours long performance on this DVD. Tryo starts with an electric set that consists of many elements taken from Robert Fripp’s music during the Red-era. Strangely enough, their music also reminds me of the instrumental period of Twelfth Night. Probably the best example to prove this is the opening tune Valparaiso Psicodelico. The only difference is that Tryo don’t use keyboards. The second, acoustic part of the set impressed me the most. Ten pieces are performed on acoustic guitar, cello, drums and vibraphone starting with the aforementioned opening piece. The acoustic version of this track sounds as strong as the electric one. During the acoustic part they also perform a sort of protest song against their conquerors. On Nguillatun you can hear the music of the South American Indians. Felix Carbone uses the bow from the cello to play on his vibraphone: a nice and very original gimmick. The third part of the band’s live performance is again an electric set introduced with the words ‘let’s put some Chili into the music’. With this term they probably mean that the music will become a bit heavier from now on. However, you can still hear the King Crimson-influences, but another name pops up as well: the Canadian trio Rush, especially in songs as Justica, Grieta and Bloques. It’s a nice ending of a very well-balanced live performance of Tryo, a band unknown to me until I watched this DVD. This release also contains bonus features especially for those who want to know more about Tryo after seeing the band in action for two hours. Besides the usual biography and sound samples you get an eight-minute interview backstage and finally a photo gallery. For people who like King Crimson, Rush and some special acoustic music Tryo is very enjoyable. For me, it was a nice escape from the prog material that I usually listen to. *** Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
