Kavy Tries Things: Kavyesh Kaviraj Presents Fables

Pianist and composer Kavyesh Kaviraj tells his own story on his debut album, Fables.

Fables is the debut album from pianist and composer Kavyesh Kaviraj. The bandleader arrives in full force, after years accompanying the likes of Wynton Marsalis, David Sanchez, Justin Robinson, Roosevelt Collier, Steve Cole, and many others. Over eight original compositions, Kaviraj is riveting, playing with astonishing virtuosity and spirit. He is matched by a stellar band, anchored by bassist Jeff Bailey, drummer Kevin Washington, saxophonist Pete Whitman, and trumpeter Omar Abdulkarim. The group has performed together for years in various arrangements, and the camaraderie shows.

On Fables, Kaviraj presents music that is intense, beautiful, and reaching. The project, more than seven years in the making, is rooted in a longstanding desire to tell stories through music. “When I was a child, my mother gave me as many storybooks as she could find — Russian children’s books, old Indian parables, and of course, Aesop’s Fables,” Kaviraj says. “I developed a love for the allegory and imagery of the hero’s journey, and that influence is at the heart of this project.”