Atlas Maior is a composer of original music that incorporates elements from Progressive Jazz, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Indian music traditions. Joshua Thomson (alto, flutes), Josh Peters(oud), Charlie Lockwood(oud), Ted Camat (percussion), create a unique sound that combines intimate moments of sincerity and powerful melodies with incendiary rhythmic passages. Atlas Maior creates original melodies that explore maqamat (the Middle Eastern modular system) and the harmonic progressions of American jazz. The group uses a variety of traditional percussion instruments, including the Indian tablas (Middle Eastern dumbek), Peruvian cajon, Brazilian pandeiro, and Middle Eastern dumbek), to create their music. Atlas Maior, an ensemble, has released four studio albums Keyif and Palindrome, Four Shades and Atlas Maior EP. It has received positive media placements from Public Radio International and KUTX, Austin’s National Public Radio affiliate network. All About Jazz, World Music Central and UTNE Reader have also been placed on the album. Atlas Maior will soon release Riptide their fifth album in Spring 2019. The band has been touring internationally in France, Spain and Turkey since 2013. They have received local recognition as Creative Ambassadors on January 31, 2019, and were proclamated “Atlas Maior Day” by Austin’s City Council on March 27, 2014. They have opened for international artists Vieux Farka Toure, Tal National and Josh T. Pearson. The group has worked with a number of talented musicians from Angers, Austin and Barcelona. CDBaby
