Randy Armstrong & Volker Nahrmann

Randy Armstrong has been creating a fusion of jazz, western classical and folk music with musical traditions and instruments from around the world for four decades. He co-founded the pioneering Do'a World Music Ensemble, which welcomed classical and jazz bassist Volker Nahrmann from Hamburg, Germany on its fifth album, World Dance. This launched an enduring musical collaboration for Volker and Randy and the subsequent release of their Hand In Hand CD on the Global Pacific label as Unu Mondo in 1994. Inspired by their love of music and cultures, they tour and travel extensively, drawing inspiration from the world's diversity. Their compositions take you on a global voyage, from the streets of Havana and Rio de Janeiro, the evocative traditions of India and the Middle East, to the romantic cafe and cinema music of France and Italy, the haunting sounds of the Native American pow wow, and the worldbeat rhythms of West Africa and the Caribbean, all blended with contemporary jazz, western classical, and folk music influences. Several songs on Beyond Borders are tributes: to jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Beatle George Harrison. The songs also feature many former members of Do'a and Unu Mondo, joined by outstanding world-class musicians from many countries. Five years in the making, Beyond Borders is a "Magnum Opus" for Armstrong and Nahrmann, a collection of songs composed over a 40-year span of creative output, dedicated to the belief that music has the power to uplift the human spirit and be a catalyst for change in the world.

"From the first notes rising on a guitar's steel string to the last note fading from a trumpet's muted bell, Beyond Borders soars. Randy Armstrong & Volker Nahrmann have crafted a vibrant and fascinating tapestry of music, masterfully woven from a truly kaleidoscopic palate of vocal and instrumental tonal hues."
- Eric Sinclair - sixstrstories.com

"Right off the bat Beyond Borders won me over! The first two songs, reminiscent of the great 1970s band Return To Forever, brought a quick smile to my face. I kept that smile as tracks 3 thru 11 took me on a very entertaining adventure of musical styles from many cultures. Throughout, the performances are first rate. In particular, the rhythm section is amazing on all the songs. I am partial to guitar playing and Randy Armstrong plays beautifully and strong in a very wide range of styles. There really is something for everyone to enjoy on Beyond Borders, A Global Voyage in Music."
- Gary Traversy - garysguitars.biz

"Every song on Beyond Borders makes me want to visit the place and culture that inspired the music. Fantastic World Tour!"
- Linda Safford

"While it could be said that Beyond Borders celebrates and showcases many diverse musical tastings--and what delightful tastes indeed--what I most enjoyed is that 'taste' has been given 'trajectory' to marry exploration and thrill, reflection and play, stunning sounds and palettes with thoughtful expression and splendid flare. This gift of a recording, largely in moderate canvases, finds a way to reveal music-making that only could be realized through a wealth of decades worth of sharings, livings, breathings, adventurings...to become global then as much through temporal immersion and long accretion as by invigorating cultural love, passion, and interest for the Other and others 'through' the Other and others. To listen and thereby travel as such: that is, to invite taste, our tastes and tastings, to dance these worlds."
- Dr. Jon Sakata - Concert Pianist & Transdisciplinary Artisan

Randy Armstrong & Volker Nahrmann’s Websites: randyarmstrong.com Facebook twitter nahrmannbass.com Facebook