Thanks CWS, that shows my lack of experience of other carriers, but as I said I've never had a totally silent flight crew before.
It must just be company policy for Jota - I can't see the mantra that rossmacd refers to having any bearing on a pre-taxi announcement or one at the start of descent. I do expect 2 fully trained pilots to be able to spare a minute outside of the high work rate phases of flight and I think it give a good overall impression and reassurance. That's just my view.