Album Notes

Nima & Merge is a power trio:
Merge is a fusion of jazz, world music, and progressive rock. The group consists of Nima Rezai on Chapman Stick and synth Stick, Dan Heflin on saxophones, and Brad Ranola on drum set. The three musicians generate an unusually expansive sound which their compositions demand. The result is a truly unique and powerful sonic experience.

Nima & Merge is world Music:
Nima's Persian origins find their way into compositions through traditional elements of various eastern music systems. Combinations of West African, South American, Western rhythms and melodies from the other players intertwine to produce a sound that is fresh. While much of the group's original material is based around these world influences, the musicians strive to keep the music open to new expressions in the jazz tradition.

Nima & Merge is jazz:
Improvisation has always been an integral part of the music-making process for this group. This is evident through their mixture of musical styles in this idiom ranging anywhere from straight ahead to avant-garde. Smooth phrasing and intense musical moments make for a somber yet compelling experience. Through this combination of dynamic contrasts and musical elements, the group has the flexibility to be at once intimate and powerful.

Nima & Merge is progressive rock:
Fans of this style of music will appreciate some of the progressive rock influences and attitudes of Merge: power chords, elaborate drum fills, and virtuosic soloing find their place in compositions that contain a wide variety of movements, time signatures, and associated visual imagery - ultimate and original mood music.

Nima & Merge is original:
The uniqueness of the group's sound begins with the instrumentation: Chapman Stick, an amplified 12-stringed instrument with which rhythm, melody, and bass are played simultaneously, soprano or tenor saxophone, and drums. The combination of different elements within the music brings forth a style that audiences find intriguing but, as of yet, has no standard definition. With one produced album and another in the making, this eclectic band is headed upward and outward.