Oryx from RIPTIDE by Atlas Maior
Atlas Maior's Riptide is Now Available
Riptide represents the group’s most dynamic and intricate effort to-date as the eleven song album traverses American and Progressive Jazz, Middle Eastern and Indian traditions, and Latin American musical idioms. The result creates hypnotic, transportive soundscapes with powerful melodies and gripping passages that are uniquely Atlas Maior.
Charlie Lockwood - oud
Sari Andoni - oud
Joshua Thomson - alto saxophone
Gary Calhoun James - double bass
Tarik Hassan - double bass
Ted Camat - drums, guiro
Recorded, & mixed by:
Gary Calhoun James at Bell Tree Studio - Austin, TX
Mastered by: Carl Saff at Saff Mastering - Austin, TX
Produced by: Charlie Lockwood and Joshua Thomson
℗ & © 2019 by Atlas Maior. All rights reserved.
www.atlasmaior.com
booking.atlasmaior@gmail.com
"Mixing Middle Eastern sounds with progressive jazz, the song is a psychedelic musical exploration that winds and curves but never loses the groove. While musician brings something to the table, Joshua Thomson shines on saxophone as he channels the more worldly jazz experimentation of artists like John Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders. His saxophone playing flows along in a hypnotic way that feels like it is sailing over a desert night. With such a unique sound, the members of Atlas Maior are part of a new young wave of jazz musicians like Kamasi Washington and Christian Scott who are pushing boundaries and breaking new ground to usher in a new era of jazz that is truly electrifying." - Glide Magazine
Atlas Maior writes original melodies exploring maqamat (the Middle Eastern modal system) and harmonic progressions found in American jazz. The group composes with a wide variety of rhythms and traditional percussion instruments including the Indian tablas, Middle Eastern dumbek, Peruvian cajón, and Brazilian pandeiro. Recorded in 2018 at Austin’s Bell Tree Studio, Riptide is the culmination of several years of the Atlas Maior compositional process by band members Joshua Thomson (alto saxophone), Charlie Lockwood (oud - Middle Eastern fretless lute), Josh Peters (oud), and Ted Camat (drums, percussion). The album is bolstered by several featured guest artists and regular contributors to Atlas Maior, including violin maestro Roberto Riggio (Atash, Youssou N’dour, Fayrouz), rhythm section talents Gary Calhoun James (double bass), Tarik Hassan (double bass), and Palestinian oud player Sari Andoni. Riptide was produced by Thomson and Lockwood, mixed by Gary Calhoun James, & mastered by Carl Saff.
Riptide fits nicely within Atlas Maior’s catalog that includes Keyif (2015), Palindrome (2014), Four Shades (2012), and Atlas Maior EP (2011), all receiving positive press accolades from Public Radio International, KUTX, Austin’s National Public Radio affiliate network, Glide Magazine, All About Jazz, Earmilk, UTNE Reader, World Music Central and more. Atlas Maior has toured internationally in France, Spain, and Turkey, and has received hometown recognition with the proclamation of “Atlas Maior Day” on March 27, 2014 by Austin’s City Council. On January 31st, Atlas Maior was named Creative Ambassadors to the City of Austin for 2019 by Austin Mayor Steve Adler, and the ATX Music Division.
Most recently Atlas Maior was nominated for the 3rd consecutive year as a top 5 finalist in the category of jazz for the 2019 Austin Music Awards. They have opened for internationally acclaimed artists Vieux Farka Touré, Tal National, Josh T. Pearson, and have performed at music festivals including Austin Days (Angers, FR), Pueblos Blancos (Andalusia), Wobeonfest, Art Outside, SXSW, and the City of Austin’s F1 Fan Fest. The group has collaborated with a host of talented musicians in Angers, Austin, Barcelona, Istanbul, and from around the world.
Atlas Maior makes original music informed by Jazz, Arab, Turkish and Latin American musical traditions.