Wednesday, July 19, 2023
6:30 PM

Summer Sounds: Atlas Maior
Pay What You Can Ticket $10-25 
Registration provided a chair on the Plaza first come, first served
In case of inclement weather, registration provides a seat inside the Rothko Chapel

"Some musicians find an extant niche and set up camp within its borders. Others, however, set out for the hinterlands and build a castle. The turrets of Austin's Josh Peters and Joshua Thomson, aka Atlas Maior, still stand on their latest EP, Hadal." - Austin Chronicle

Atlas Maior creates original music that combines elements of Progressive Jazz, Middle Eastern, Latin, and Indian music traditions. Band members Joshua Thomson (alto saxophone, flutes) and Josh Peters (oud, lavta), create a unique sound that balances intimate moments of sincerity with powerful melodies and incendiary rhythmic passages. The group writes original melodies exploring maqamat (Middle Eastern modal system) and harmonic progressions found in American jazz. Atlas Maior composes with a variety of rhythms & instrumentation including Indian tablas, kanjira, & Chinese hulusi.

As an ensemble Atlas Maior has released 6 studio albums, most recently new album "Hadal" (released 2/17/23), their follow up to "RIPTIDE", voted a 2019 Top 100 release by The Austin Chronicle. During 2020-21 the group released 4 singles which featured Coke Studios artist Ali Pervez Mehdi (Nazuk, Ya Ali, & 2 studio remixes). The group has toured nationally & internationally while garnering positive reviews and media placement from Jazziz Magazine, NPR's PRI The World, New York Daily Music, Jazz Journal, Afropop Worldwide, Song Lines, & in 2019 were named City of Austin Cultural Ambassadors.