Nima & Merge
Gig Seeker Pro

Nima & Merge

Band Jazz World

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Live in London"

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
http://newsite.jazzonthestreets.com/ - David Gilbert


"Merge, live and on record, the soundtrack for warm Californian evenings"

During our first family holiday in California this year, I caught the last minute of a three piece band's performance one night, but the following night got to see the last 30 minutes of their show. I was entranced. As I was to find, the band call themselves Nima & Merge and play an exciting jazz rock. I've grown somewhat cynical about Californian based fusion bands over the last few years: these seem for the most part bands laying down formulaic, guitar-lead jazz rock. What I heard on the 12th August had me rejoicing that jazz rock can be done in a new way, and in a way that is attractive and melodic. It has also had me playing Merge‚s music continuously ever since The Merge I saw is a three-piece band, and no guitar in evidence. Their choice of instruments and music range will suggest their music is far from typical jazz rock fusion. Instead, we were given a marvelously tight live performance from Chapman Stick, woodwind (mainly alto and tenor sax) and drums. Nima Rezai plays the stick ˆ this was the first time I had seen this instrument used in action, and out on the street too. Nima is masterful at providing part of the rhythm, as well as sound escapes and the lead at times. The sax playing is delightful taking in jazz and more traditional folk/world themes*. And the drumming is very special too ˆ no obvious jazz rock pounding here, instead percussion which was more in the style of Trilok Gurtu, reinforcing the world jazz elements in their music. Merge are a hybrid of jazz, fusion, progressive rock and world music for their sound ˆ their live performances and their album will surely testify to this! I had a chance to briefly speak to Nima after the street show. I discovered a number of things; I had missed the band at the London Jazz Festival 3 or 4 weeks before ˆ Merge clearly travel well. Nima is a Yes fan, but though having already been made aware of former Crimson Stick player, Tony Levin, he hadn't heard his style of playing. And Merge are San Francisco based. I find Merge a breathe of fresh air in an field of music that has let itself get stale recently. I urge all to buy Merge's album ˆ all those folks who enjoy good music, good playing good tunes, and not just jazz rock fusion fans. Nima & Merge is the October 2003 album of the month for The Alternative Alternative Show on Loughborough Campus Radio in the UK (www.LCR1350.co.uk <http://www.lcr1350.co.uk/>  for the occasional webcast).* Strangely I have been reminded here of the alto sax solo during the opening half of the live recording of "White Rabbit" (on the 1965 recorded(?) Great Society album) ˆ although apart from a Middle Eastern feel, the comparison with Merge is tenuous.
Dick Heath Loughborough Campus RadioOctober 2003 - Richard Heath


"All Weather Festival/ Belgium 2003"

NIMA & MERGE
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
Maaesik, Belgium - Rene Meuris


Discography

Merge (self titled) 1999

Nima & Merge Live in London 2004

Nima & Merge Separate Worlds 2004

Singles can be heard on several streaming and college stations throughout California, Mexico, and Europe.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Nima & Merge is a power trio.
Nima & 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 2 more in the making,
this eclectic band is headed upward and outward.
Nima & Merge is . . .