porous sonorous: Atlas Maior, Stefan González, Matthew Frerck, Aaron González

Austin-based ensemble Atlas Maior comes to Dallas to present Palindromlar, their latest album. Blending progressive jazz, free improvisation, and the musical traditions of the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and India, the ensemble has developed an internationally recognized sound marked by fearless improvisation, dynamic interplay, and textural depth. The evening unfolds in two sets: Atlas Maior members Joshua Thomson (alto saxophone, flutes) and Josh Peters (oud, lutar) will be joined by Stefan González (drums) and Matthew Frerck (upright bass) for a special performance and presentation of Palindromlar. Joshua Thomson, Stefan González, and Aaron González (upright bass) will open as a trio for an improvisation-driven collaboration rooted in avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, and experimental sound exploration. Doors 7:00 pm Music 7:30 pm TICKETS: $10 pre-sale / $20 door ATLAS MAIOR The ensemble creates music informed by maqamat (Middle Eastern modal systems), contemporary jazz harmony, and exploratory improvisational practices. Utilizing instrumentation including oud, lutar, Chinese hulusi, saxophone, and flutes, the group frequently moves between structured compositional frameworks and open improvisation, creating immersive performances that expand and contract through a deep commitment to dynamics and atmosphere. This performance also marks a first-time collaboration with bassist Matthew Frerck alongside the continuing collaboration with Stefan González, who appears on recordings connected to the Palindromlar project. Atlas Maior has released eight studio albums and has toured extensively throughout the United States and internationally, including Morocco, Spain, France and Turkey. In 2019, the ensemble was named a City of Austin Cultural Ambassador, and in 2023 received the City of Austin’s Live Music Fund grant. JOSHUA THOMSON + AARON GONZÁLEZ + STEFAN GONZÁLEZ Unite for their second performance together, balancing explosive rhythmic intensity with spacious textures and deep collective listening, the ensemble moves fluidly between abstract improvisation, cinematic atmosphere, and high-energy sonic interplay. Joshua Thomson is an Austin-based saxophonist, composer, and improviser known for his expansive work across modern jazz, experimental music, and cross-cultural collaboration. Thomson co-leads Atlas Maior, he also performs in the Austin free jazz and experimental improvisation group THC Trio alongside guitarist Jonathan Horne and percussionist Lisa Cameron, while remaining active in projects including Viva Palestina Orchestra, Indimaj, Clandestine Flower, Frederico7, Cilantro Boombox, and Micah Shalom. Thomson additionally appears on the experimental quartet recording Place Is the Space alongside Lisa Cameron, Jonathan Horne, and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and is also a member of the experimental chamber-improvisation project Break/Fix, whose releases Silo and Conduit explore minimalist textures, free improvisation, and electro-acoustic interplay through unconventional ensemble configurations. Aaron González is a Dallas bassist, vocalist, composer, visual artist, and poet. Alongside Stefan and Dennis González, he performed extensively in Yells at Eels and related ensembles while also contributing to projects spanning grindcore, avant-rock, noise improvisation, and interdisciplinary performance art. Classically trained through Dallas public arts programs and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Young Strings program, Aaron’s work bridges rigorous musical study with fearless improvisational experimentation.With Stefan, guitarist Luís Lopes, and saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, he has also been part of the Humanization Quartet. His current project, Firelife Trio, brings him together with Houston saxophonist Danny Kamins and Stefan. Aaron has played and recorded with Famoudou Don Moye, Alvin Fielder, Ra Kalam Bob Moses, Eugene Chadbourne, Gregg Prickett, Tom Carter, and many others. Alongside Stefan, he co-leads the Dennis Gonzalez Legacy Band. Stefan González is a drummer, vibraphonist, and vocalist, who has established himself as one of the most uncompromising voices in contemporary experimental music. Born into the creative lineage of legendary jazz trumpeter, poet, and visual artist Dennis González, Stefan forged his own path through an explosive musical language informed equally by free jazz, punk, grindcore, noise, and avant-garde improvisation. In addition to projects such as Yells at Eels and the avant-rock group Unconscious Collective, he fronts the one-man grind/noise project Orgullo Primitivo/Primitive Orgasm. In 2014, the Dallas Observer named González “Best Drummer” for his singular and highly physical approach to performance. Current projects include Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten’s The Young Mothers, the Dennis Gonzalez Legacy Band and Trio Glossía (with Joshua Cañate and Matthew Frerck). Other collaborators: Joe McPhee, Mars Williams, Maria Valencia, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Akira Sakata, Ken Vandermark, Wendy Eisenberg, Damon Smith, Tatsuya Nakatani, Rob Mazurek, Elliott Levin, Jandek, Mike Watt, and many more. porous sonorous is an artist-run concert series for other musics and further sounds, flowing sporadically and itinerantly across North Texas. It is shaped by a long-standing involvement with The Wild Detectives, forged from half the ashes of Molten Plains, and woven through shifting currents of past and present collaborations with fellow artists, organizers, and venues of different kinds. Don’t miss out and sign up to our newsletter

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Austin-based ensemble Atlas Maior comes to Dallas to present Palindromlar, their latest album. Blending progressive jazz, free improvisation, and the musical traditions of the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and India, the ensemble has developed an internationally recognized sound marked by fearless improvisation, dynamic interplay, and textural depth. The evening unfolds in two sets: Atlas Maior members Joshua Thomson (alto saxophone, flutes) and Josh Peters (oud, lutar) will be joined by Stefan González (drums) and Matthew Frerck (upright bass) for a special performance and presentation of Palindromlar. Joshua Thomson, Stefan González, and Aaron González (upright bass) will open as a trio for an improvisation-driven collaboration roote