Atlas Maior’s Four Shades is an intensely emotional instrumental album that highlights the group’s diverse musical influences from across the globe. The group maps diverse musical traditions by placing Middle Eastern, North Indian, West and North African as well as Latin American musical idioms in dialogue with one another. Diverse in sonic textures and musical styles, this emergent Austin world fusion group highlights a variety of musical traditions while balancing intimate moments of sincerity with powerful cinematic melodies and incendiary rhythmic grooves. The result of nearly two years of creating original material and performing throughout Central and East Texas, Four Shades was composed, arranged and produced by Atlas Maior and recorded in Mohr Music Studios throughout the course of Summer 2012. The group is an integral piece of the emerging and vibrant world, traditional and international live music scene in Austin, TX, and is actively performing in Central Texas, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Atlas Maior’s Four Shades is a medley of both soulful and driving melodies played on the ‘ud (Middle Eastern lute) and alto saxophone, swimming through the water-like waves of the Indian tabla drums and other non-Western traditional percussion instruments. This sound has brought the band recognition on KUT 90.5FM’s “Austin Music Minute”, and Atlas Maior invites further media reviews of the group and the Four Shades LP. The group’s 2011 EP has received radio play on KUT 90.FM Austin, KVRX 91.7FM Austin, KRTU 91.7FM San Antonio, while the upcoming Four Shades release is expected to receive radio play on stations throughout Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Nashville, and Los Angeles area. All songs written and arranged by Atlas Maior except “Hicaz Mandra” (written by Sultan Abdülaziz and arranged by Atlas Maior) and “Red Dwarf Love Affair” (written and arranged by Joshua Thomson & Charlie Lockwood). Joshua Thomson: Alto Saxophone Charlie Lockwood: Oud Ethan Vlah: Percussion Engineered by Donald W. Mohr Mohr Music Studios, Austin, TX Design, logo, and album art layout by Benson A. Roberts III