Major Vistas
Madison, WI | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
Major Vistas
Minor Anthems
Self Produced
2016
A fresh approach to the jazz trio, and the debut release from Madison, Wisconsin's Major Vistas. Keyboardist Mike Weiser says he thinks of it as a modern "organ" trio, but he tends to use Fender Rhodes sounds more than Hammond low tones for the bass. The band cites guitarists John Scofield and Pat Metheny as influences (along with Medeski, Martin & Wood and The Bad Plus), but I'm more strongly reminded of John Abercrombie's organ trios. Guitarist Chris Bucheit (who shares composition credits with Weiser) has a contemporary jazz guitar sound, but not as overdriven as Scofield tends to be. Drummer Geoff Brady completes the group. _Mark Sullivan - All About Jazz
Madison-based trio Major Vistas’ debut album, Minor Anthems, crafts flowing and subtly ambitious instrumentals from a gentle palette of jazz, rock, and electronic sounds. Chris Bucheit’s mostly clean-toned guitars, Mike Weiser’s electric piano, and Geoff Brady’s drums give these songs an approachable surface, but also give the band a lot of room to explore a variety of textures and feels. Weiser and Bucheit dart around each other through the ascending figures of “Deep Space” as Brady weaves tastefully mutating grooves. “Beginning Mind” uses rich piano chords and delay-streaked guitar loops to craft a melody that’s at once conversational and ominous, with rhythms that alternate between mid-tempo rock and nimble swing. That versatility—and the band’s balance of hooks and improvisation—makes Major Vistas a worthy addition to Madison’s jazz offerings. —SG (Scott Gordon) - Tone Madison
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Major Vistas formed in 2015 with the shared goal of writing and performing melodic, soulful and dynamic instrumental music that blends Jazz and Rock. Their first recording Minor Anthems was released in May, 2016 and features original compositions with an emphasis on improvisation.
Prior to forming Major Vistas, Mike was active producing music and sounds for award winning video games and educational apps. At the same time, Chris was cutting his teeth writing modern jazz tunes and winning critical accolades (including Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s Homegrown CD Award) as a composer and performer. Geoff Brady has been an active performer in Madison for years... showing up anywhere from puppet shows to punk rock clubs. When he’s not a sexy librarian, he’s hitting the skins in Yid Vicious, Major Vistas, and several other projects.
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