Aurora -

Aurora was an American jazz-rock band from Texas that was active between 1976 and 1980. Twenty years after the fact, a collection of the band’s live and studio recordings were issued on CD by archivist label Shroom.

Members: Mark Menikos (violin, 1976-77), Skip SoRelle (guitar), Roy Vogt (bass, 1976-?), John Sharp (keyboards, 1976-?), Martin Metzger (drums, 1976-?), Bruce Tate (bass, 1977-80), Rolando Garcia (drums, 1977-?), Frank Davis (drums, 1978-80), Bill Howard (keyboards, 1978-80)

Background

Aurora formed in 1976 in Texas around violinist Mark Menikos and guitarist Skip SoRelle, who met through mutual covers of Frank Zappa and Mahavishnu Orchestra material. Menikos, who started violin at age nine and drew from Stéphane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty, covered local fusion gigs with psychedelic rock band Shiva’s Headband. SoRelle, influenced by John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and Larry Coryell, played jazz-folk with High Time Octet.

The duo recruited bassist Roy Vogt, keyboardist John Sharp, and drummer Martin McCall (later Metzger, then McCall) through Dallas auditions, naming the band after Ponty’s 1974 album. They covered Ponty and John McLaughlin tracks at Texas clubs, opened for Larry Coryell at the refurbished Granada Theatre in 1977, and supported Miroslav Vitous and Alphonse Mouzon. The quintet tracked three studio songs in May 1977 at January Sound Studios on a loan from SoRelle’s doctor friend, and recorded seven live tracks that year for KZEW-FM’s “Homegrown” broadcast. Shroom Productions issued the combined material in 1999.

Aurora (1977)

Aurora released their self-titled album in 1999 on Shroom Productions.

The album fuses violin-driven jazz-rock with progressive shifts and keyboard textures, drawn from 1977 studio and live sessions at January Sound Studios in Dallas by violinist Mark Menikos, guitarist Skip SoRelle, keyboardist John Sharp, bassist Roy Vogt, and drummer Martin McCall. Menikos wrote five songs and covered one by Ponty; Sharp wrote two; SoRelle wrote two.

Tracks alternate frenetic fusion runs with dreamy interludes and rhythmic variations. “Opus 8” launches into sassy grooves with soaring violin, guitar stylings, and jagged keys over bass pulses, “Within” hypnotizes through dreamy melodies that explode into sunny keyboard solos paralleling breezy guitar, “Dancing on a Plain in Spain” carves jazzy violin interplay with subtle bass intervals, slick guitar dashes, and oily synth lines.

“Is There Any More?” plays with aimless solos in a Curved Air-like drift, “Off-Blue” coils rapid violin ruts into lounge-jazz slithers, “Eurhythmia” veers into maniacal speeds with country fiddling and riff exchanges, “Savage Lust” sears with coy sensuality, popping bass, and high-note violin leaps amid guitar noodlings. “Polyfolk Dance” charges electronically with superior guitar lunges and pastoral joy, “Khartouhm” narrates spicy Middle Eastern mists over hissing percussion and swirling keys, “Jubilee” forges traditional jazz-rock with woozy synths and violin leads.

1. “Opus 8” (11:53)
2. “Within” (5:56)
3. “Dancing on a Plain in Spain” (8:14)
4. “Is There Any More?” (4:27)
5. “Off-Blue” (4:54)
6. “Eurhythmia” (5:03)
7. “Savage Lust” (6:55)
8. “Polyfolk Dance” (5:06)
9. “Khartouhm” (9:58)
10. “Jubilee” (10:40)

Sessions occurred at January Sound Studios in Dallas with producer Aurora, engineer Chuck Mandernach, executive producer Richard S. Patz, and mastering engineer Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova Digital Audio. Greg Putman created artwork; Richard S. Patz handled layout and design; Ernie Myers, Mark Menikos, and Skip SoRelle contributed research; SoRelle provided tech assistance.

Postlude

Aurora disbanded in 1980 after lineup shifts. Violinist Mark Menikos and drummer Martin McCall joined fusion group Hands in the 1980s, then formed Celtic-fusion band Brothers 3. McCall also plays space rock with I Am and leads taiko drum troupe Kobushoi, recording with Mark O’Connor and Sara Hickman.

Bassist Roy Vogt moved to Nashville in 1980, played in the group Chi, and taught at Belmont University since 1983. Keyboardist John Sharp passed after a battle with liver disease. Guitarist Skip SoRelle relocated to Maryland in 1980, founded Aurora Productions for film and TV audio, and returned to Texas in 2015.

Discography: