All Weather Music
8 November 2003

When you book a group for your music festival, relying only on a demo, you take chances. It's usually safer to go to a live performance to assess musical skills….

Yet, in the case of the Californian group "Nima & Merge" I did just that. I booked them, after listening to a demo, and I have not regretted this decision. Their demo was so filled with enthusiasm and professional skills, that I didn't hesitate a second to book them for the sixth edition of the "All Weather Music festival". Then I received a confirmation from a jazz fan from Julich in Germany, who had heard the group perform at the local festival.

Merge offers a mix (merge!) of jazz, rock, ethnic music and performs with such passion that they give you the impression that each concert is their last chance to prove their value.

No impression could be more wrong. The members of the band make an excellent team and they perform on a professional level.

The instruments match the variety in their music: The Chapman Stick, the soprano and tenor sax, and the drums.

The idea behind the Chapman Stick is that you play the guitar and the bass simultaneously. In my opinion, you must at least be positive and eccentric to play this instrument. But Nima Rezai, Merge's Chapman Stick player, only needed half a song to capture the audience with his virtuosity and originality. Saxophonist Dan Heflin played both the soprano and tenor sax with such lyricism and timbre that the audience focussed and listened. His gift for improvising almost chained the listeners to the stage. Brad Ranola, the drummer of the group, plays with amazing 'drive'; he is powerful, rhythmic, and musical. Power, power, power!

These Americans were the revelation of All Weather Music 2003. They were friendly, professional and (important!) " down to earth".

Thanks guys!
René Meuris
All weather Music

  "Nima Collective: Songs Of Strange Delight" by Steven reid-

Blending world music with jazz and progressive rock, Nima Collective bring together ideas, styles and instruments which wouldn't normally be found together, with didgeridoo, taar, santour and kamanche sitting comfortably alongside drums, violin, saxophone and the "stick" of band leader Nima Rezai.

It is Nima's precision stick work that leads much of what is on offer during this excellent voyage through eclectic, meandering moods and vibes called Songs Of Strange Delight. However the ethnic instrumentation is never swamped, or for that matter, added for effect, with the beautifully poised opening track "Division" setting the scene perfectly for the rest of the album. Didgeridoo heralds the song into life, before violin and hand percussion take on the mantle of moving forward the plaintive, but captivating story that the instrumental music relays. The intricate orchestration which becomes the signature of this album is always busy, while never being too clever for its own good and it is easy to imagine devotees of world music fully appreciating this aspect of the album, while the more adventurous jazz fan, or progressive music follower will be startled by the skill, dexterity and insight shown in this music.
Wonderful moments like the pulsating "Fragile", or the singing, electro-beat driven "Take Me Down" are compelling both in their ability to intertwine styles and moods, and the ease in which they draw you in to their complex, yet accessible themes. The trick isn't quite so successful on the version of The Beatles "Norwegian Wood", which ever so slightly tumbles into twee territory, although the version of the Hendrix classics "Little Wing/Machine Gun" is one of the most moving pieces on the whole album. That said the thumping beat and singing mixture of stick, saxophone and xylophone of "In Time" is simply stunning, being not only the outstanding highlight of this album, but one of the most beautiful, moving pieces of music your liable to be lucky enough to encounter.
For anyone looking to broaden their horizons into world music, then Songs Of Strange Delight comes highly recommended and for sheer beauty, clarity and eclecticism this is an album of rare class and poise.

  Nima & Merge are a fusion outfit incorporating many styles, which include jazz, rock and world sounds from all over the globe, blending into their own signature sound. Nima & Merge have played at many music festivals around Europe and North America, earning glowing praise and recommendations from festival organizers and attendees. The band’ s newest release Separate Worlds showcases them in typical form.

First impressions of the music is that of an exotic dish never been tasted before. The music is diverse sounding and full of many different flavors: folk, jazz, pop, heavy rock, far eastern, middle eastern and other world elements. The music borrows influences from the major pioneers of fusion, like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return To Forever, Eleventh House, Jean-Luc Ponty and Weather Report.

The band’ s essence and identity is traced to the Chapman Stick and it’ s virtuoso Nima Rezai. The Chapman Stick is the core of their sound. It is what separates them from their many influences and allows them to retain an original sound and own voice. The Australian Aboriginal instrument didjeridu makes some strong spots as well. The didjeridu, a drone instrument, is used to this affect in favor of synth chords that are common in fusion. The didjeridu comps melodic lines and solo spots by Chapman Stick, sax, flute, guitar or fiddle. What a sound!

The band easily navigates through their complex and original brand of music. They have the dynamic range to easily shift between the powerful and the delicate places of music. Their excellent chemistry dates back to their school days, when they started playing together.

Nima & Merge are onto something unique and original. With the Chapman Stick playing a prominent role and the didjeridu also making a strong impact, Nima & Merge represents new music from other worlds. Just take a look at their cover art and album title. Nima & Merge can potentially push the Chapman Stick instrument, and quite possibly the didjeridu also, into the mainstream. Separate Worlds is a very impressive and unique set of music, highly recommended if not essential for fans of and Chapman Stick players. Fusionados and prog-rockers will want to give this disc a whirl as well. All of Nima & Merge’ s music is available at iTunes.

 On Separate Worlds, Stick player-composer Nima Rezai leads a talented crew of San Francisco musicians through a compelling hybrid of world music rhythms and motifs with driving, tightly crafted instrumentals that draw from the spirit of ‘70s progressive rock and early fusion music. Think Yes meets Mahavishnu somewhere in the Middle East. This amalgam of styles is most effectively realized on the extended suite “To Be Free,” featuring guest Ali Shayesteh on sax and bouzouki, on the dynamic “Driven,” a nine-minute odd-metered vehicle for Rezai’s Stick synth and Dan Heflin’s passionate tenor sax work, and the dynamic “Kurdish Dance.” Fueling the session with polyrhythmic aplomb is percussionist-drummer Brad Ranola, who provides the powerful backbeats and crisp fills that underscore each track. . Seven-string violinist Jesus Florida, flutist Masaru Koga, tabla player Alex Postelnek and Randy Graves on didjeridu and guitar all enhance the proceedings with colors and textures that help ignite these scintillating grooves. The bits of notey virtuosity heard throughout this eclectic outing are interspersed with pleasing melodies (“Moon Struck,” “Reng”) and meditative soundscapes (“Once Loved,” “Never More”). Highly recommended. -- Bill Milkowski

  As the room dimmed, music students in the audience cheered and welcomed the band as if they were attending a rock concert.

The Performing and Communication Arts Division presented Nima Collective, which performed for music students on Thursday in Harbeson Hall.

The band's music consists of various genres like classical, Latin, rock, Persian, jazz, African, North, South Indian, and fusion, which makes it hard to fit them into one specific genre, except "merge" as the band calls it.

The instruments were one of a kind. "This looks like a normal violin, but it's not. The wood is from 1840 and only three people have it in the country," said band member Jesus Florido.

An instrument called the chapman stick also awed the students. "What you have here is a lot of notes in common. It's also a very young instrument. It's only 37-years-old," said Nima Rezai.

Even the drum set, also called "el monstro," was different. "The sizes are actually bigger than normal. They're only 100 years old," said percussionist Christopher Garcia.

The program included four original compositions, with the exception of one by Jimi Hendrix.

"Reng" was one of the tunes that Florido was engrossed in every moment of. The song was upbeat with a little bit of rock and Florido bobbed his head to the rhythm as he played. The song ended with low chimes, almost like a whisper.

"Float" was the most fast paced song of the program, besides "Fragments." It had a lot of bass in the background and even the musicians thought it must have been too loud. "Is the level okay out there?" asked Florido. In response, he got a loud cheer from the audience.

In "Road To Hana," Florido played two different instruments. The rhythm was more dramatic compared to the other songs.

The last song, "Little Wing," was the most soothing and tranquil. The only thing that changed it was the drums and the chapman towards the end.

 Nima & Merge were one of this years festival highlights, a superb fusion of jazz, world music. The simplicity of the trio lent itself to allowing full reign to the expansive dynamic range and potential of the Chapman stick played by Nima Rezai, complimented by the beautifully melodic saxophone of Dan Heflin and the polyrhythmic wall of sound provided by Brad Ranola on drums. Merge played for jazz On the streets at Trafalgar Square, Covent garden piazza, Paddington recreation ground, Soho Square and carnaby Street. The director recommends this band for any jazz festival world music or fusion event.

-David Gilbert
Director of London Jazz on the Streets Festival

 Here below are the last playlists from "Rock Evolucion" radio show. We broadcasted past Tuesday June 14, 2005, some tracks from your excelent live album friends.

You are in a very good musical direction, with all the elements of ethnic jazz rock with a very personal and modern sound. Your work in the stick is really impressive.We know a lot of bands trying to make creative music , but for me is one of the best!!!

I received very good comments about your material by friends and people from the audience.

  ProgressoR
VM: November 20, 2005

Prolusion. MERGE was formed some a decade ago and is the brainchild of Nima Rezai, a Persian musician and composer living in the USA. The band's discography is comprised of three releases to date: "Merge" (1998), "Live in London" (2004) and "Separate Worlds" (2005, coming as Nima & Merge), the first studio album to be viewed here.

Analysis. I'd like to begin with the track, which has nothing to do with the rest of the material. This is Canopy, the strange 1-minute 'experiment' of eliciting sound effects from a modern synthesizer. Overall, the music on the eponymous Merge debut album is Jazz-Fusion, which, in their case, is rooted in the domain of a traditional swingy Jazz, whose open manifestations, though, reveal themselves not that often; they can be found in places on about a half of the tracks. There also are Persian and Kurdish tunes on a few tracks, but only the opening one, Intro, is just Oriental music, in a general sense. That said, there is nothing but the distinctive solos of Ney, which is a sort of flute widespread in West and Central Asian countries: from Turkey to Iran and beyond, e.g. Uzbekistan and the other former USSR republics located in Asia. From Within, another track featuring Ney, is also abundant in Oriental colorings and patterns, but here they are intermixed with European Art-Rock textures and those of Jazz, whose motherland is surely America. This is the most diverse and compelling track on the album, which I sincerely consider a masterwork. On the other compositions the flavors of music of Nima's land either appear episodically, such as on the second track Reng, or are just barely perceptible, at best. (Which is just a remark, not criticism of course!) While done within the framework of the album's overall style, this very Reng is inferior to any of those so far unnamed, at least from a progressive standpoint, as it's poor even in quasi improvisations. Although original and beautiful, this is instantly accessible stuff with numerous repetitions and a rather misplaced drum solo closer to the end. The refined melodies are mostly at the fore on Fragments, too, but this is a fully cohesive composition, in spite of what the title may suggest. Save the aforementioned Canopy, all the other compositions are good, at least, the short Noise Compliant included. For all that the band at times appeals to jazz standards, their music is distinctly original and is closer to Jazz/Prog-Fusion, as they also have Art-Rock-like arrangements and time signature changes that are more typical of Symphonic Prog, the amount of composed improvisations always exceeding that of those done on the spur of the moment. The pieces: Float, I Left Behind and Resistance well suit the picture I've sketched above, while Tap Space, From Within and Motion each features also intense jams, the saxophone improvisations being at times greatly impetuous and positively wild. That said, saxophonist Dan Hetlin and Nima Rezai himself are the primary soloing forces on this album, shining with mastery and inventiveness throughout. Chip Webster's keyboards are remarkably diverse on Tap Space, Motion, From Within and Resistance, the latter featuring even a kind of a piano-meets-strings postlude.

Conclusion. This is a good debut effort, though the album's second half (starting with the sixth track) is compiled almost exclusively of excellent works. VM: November 20, 2005


ProgressoR
KW: December 2, 2005

Analysis. Intro opens with a sense of mystery, low swirling (almost growling) chords from the keyboards, overlaid with the Ney, a Persian end-blown flute, which has a distinctly Mid Eastern sound (played by Hafez Modirzadeh). Nima Rezai, imbues much of the music of Merge with sounds of the Mid East, truly a merging of east and west. Overall, the music of this debut CD is Jazz-Fusion meets Prog, with World Music flavorings. Soprano sax takes center stage for most of Reng, as it does through much of the album. It is a flowing and melodic piece that comes close, but doesn't quite cross the line into a Smooth Jazz format. What makes the Merge sound particularly identifiable is the marriage of sax and Chapman Stick. Throughout the album much of the rhythm is created not only by Gusseck's drum set, but the syncopation of Rezai's Stick playing. Tap Space is anchored by the distinctive tonality of the stick, setting the syncopated rhythms in tandem with the drums, played with a certain looseness, yet maintaining a very determined tempo. Canopy is something of an anomaly within the established framework of the album, consisting of a brief minute of synthesized tones and rhythms, serving as an interlude to Motion, the opening measures of which could easily have come from a Jean Luc Ponty album. The keyboard figures more prominently into this track. Float is a gentle waltz with a pleasant, lilting melody. Noise Compliant is a short stick solo (which I'd like to hear much more of), bridging to From Within. This track is full of energy and complex rhythmic structures and, I get my wish, as Rezai's Stick is much more prominently featured here as a solo instrument. The music is playful and full of life. I Left Behind is one of the quietest tracks on the album, but full of drive and sense of purpose, beginning with Stick, which has an almost harp-like quality here. About midway, the sax comes in and is joined by keyboard. Resistance twists and turns, full of interplay between the instruments. The theme has a sense of mystery and urgency, which could serve as a detective theme. The ensemble work here is some of the most interesting, paying attention to the various things that are going on, the music at times loose and fluid and then pulling together into a tight structure. The drumming is particularly unrestrained, yet never drawing undue attention. Resistance is an excellent closer for the album.

Conclusion. "Merge" is a strong album of melodic Jazz-Fusion that should appeal to those who like ethnic seasonings to their music. Truly, this is part of what I find so enjoyable about this album, the merging of styles. It is energetic and upbeat from beginning to end. Those who like The Yellow Jackets, Weather Report or Jean Luc Ponty would be likely to be pleased by this album. If you are not a lover of sax music, though, this album might not be for you, as sax figures so prominently in the mix, generally being the vehicle for the melodies.

  This new quartet truly "merges" many musical elements: Middle Eastern melodies, harmonies and rhythms, and Western fusion and progressive rock arrangements, and even some Latin and Celtic themes. Stickist Nima Rezai's compositions explore all of these influences and his playing recalls traditional instruments from these genres, while paying homage to his teacher, Bob Culbertson, whose playing is frequently echoed in Rezai's own technique and phrasing. A high-energy ensemble of drums (Brad Ranola), sax (Dan Heflin), guitar (Randy Graves) and Nima's Grand Stick, Merge delivers tightly performed, highly developed compositions, with the added sonic dimension of guest performances on flute, violin, saz, tabla and many other nonwestern instruments. Their unique sound is diverse and very accessible, with an emphasis on the tunes and arrangements first, placed in lush production setting and peppered with some fiery solos. Nima's EMG and MIDI-equipped Grand Stick covers a lot of ground, but there's plenty of room for his bandmates to explore. This is a Stick record that is all about integrating the instrument into a band setting, with The Stick serving Rezai as a compositional and performance focus simultaneously.