Ali Pervez Mehdi with Atlas Maior. Josh Peters (center) and Joshua Thomson (right) are the guest DJs. Photo courtesy of the band.
Austin’s Atlas Maior makes progressive jazz–progressive in the sense that the music is always trying to connect cultures and trascend boundaries and genres. You can hear Middle Eastern, Latin American, and traditional jazz sounds in any Atlas Maior song, and it makes sense that the band has a strong following not just in Austin but around the world.
After the pandemic halted Atlas Maior’s touring earlier this year, the band decided to release two new songs this fall. Both feature a collaboration with Ali Pervez Mehdi, a Pakistani singer who met the group in Austin a few years ago. This week on My KUTX, Atlas Maior’s Joshua Thomson and Josh Peters unveil the songs and talk about their collaboration, as well as play a mix of disco jazz, funk, psychedelic Brazilian soul, and more. Hear Atlas Maior’s My KUTX on Saturday, November 7 at 6 p.m. or anytime at the top of the page.
–Art Levy
Playlist:
1. Ali Hassan Kuban – “Habibi”
2. Yazz Ahmed – “Bloom”
3. Atlas Maior – “Ya Ali” (feat. Ali Pervez Mehdi)
4. Rupa – “Aaj Shanibar”
5. Thundercat – “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II)”
6. Tarek Yamani – “Hala Land”
7. Tim Maia – “Que Beleza”
8. Atlas Maior – “Nazuk” (feat. Ali Pervez Mehdi)
9. Marcel Khalifa – “Ya Bahriya” (DJ Boudi remix)
10. Gabor Szabo – “The Lady In The Moon”
