NICOLAS MEIER

— First review of this album —

Meier can be found plying his trade in many different musical forms and bands, most prominently at the side of Jeff Beck, but on 'Peaceful' he is turning to more pastoral forms. Here he plays only acoustic instruments, namely nylon fretted and fretless guitars, 12-string guitar and glissentar (which apparently is an 11-stringed fretless instrument similar to an oud), and he has been joined by Richard Jones (violin), Kevin Glasgow (bass) and Demi Garcia (percussion). The clue to this album is very much in the title, as that is exactly what this is. Garcia is rarely in the forefront but provides different rhythms on multiple different types of percussion, staying at the very back, and then we get the layer of warm bass. Here the notes are allowed to resonate and fill the space without ever being intrusive but instead providing a firm foundation for other instruments to become involved. The violin is used more sparingly than one may imagine, as the roles of everyone are simply to provide support to Meier.

He is all over the place when it comes to influences, moving rapidly between Middle Eastern and Flamenco before heading over to South America for something a little different, and the result is something which is incredibly intriguing. He plays just one instrument when the time is right, or may add another when the need is there, and his interaction with Glasgow in particular is simply remarkable. When Meier decides the time is right for a blistering turn of pace then every note is followed by the bass, which can often be found playing a counter melody just as powerful as that from the lead.

It is an album of adventure, an album of the sun, one of joy and light from a group of musicians who are all masters of their craft. The roots of this are in jazz, but the music has moved far and wide since then, becoming something quite different indeed. It contains some of the most innovative acoustic guitar playing I have heard in quite some time and is an album to which I will often be returning.

Review originally posted at www.therocktologist.com

I first met Nicolas Meier's music when Leonardo Pavkovic from Moonjune Records sent me the album Chasing Tales, which Meier did with Peter Oxley, since then, I realized how good, experimental and classy this Swiss guitar-man is.

His playing can cover a wide variety of sounds and genres, since you will find jazz, rock, blues, Spanish and even some world music, so once you hear his compositions you may feel attracted by that diversity, and of course, you might choose your favourite Meier-style. For this album entitled "Infinity", he teams-up with two jazz monsters such as Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmy Haslip, as well as some other great guest musicians. The album features 11 songs that make almost an hour of great instrumental music.

"The Eye of Horus" is the opening track, a wonderful piece of music that has a jazzy-feeling wonderfully complemented by some violins. "Still Beautiful" is a much calmer composition, relaxing and delicious., here the acoustic guitar is what makes us fly. "Riversides" has a kind of oriental feeling and a repetitive rhythm, but it is a wonderful track because little by little the musicians bring more and new figures, faster notes and let us feel we are walking into a vertiginous road. Great!

"Yemin" shows off Meier's skills with acoustic guitar, he has soft and delicate fingers that produce wonderful sounds so one can feel pleased while listening to him. Of course the musicians help a lot, bass, drums and violin are all played exceptionally good. "Legend" is a song Meier dedicates to Jeff Beck, that legendary man who Nicolas has been playing with for some years. It is nice to say that the compositions of this album were created while Meier was travelling around the world with his different projects, being Jeff Beck's band one of them. The interplay between musicians here is great, all of them shine and create together a truly solid piece of jazzy-oriental- spanish track.

"Tales" shows cadence on its sound within a jazzy atmosphere. Electric and acoustic guitars are greatly played here, while Haslip makes magic with his bass lines and Colaiuta shows how monstrous he is with drums. "Rose on Water" is the shortest track, a soft classical oriented track with violin as main instrument. It leads to "Flying Spirits" which starts with a soft rhythm but all of a sudden it brings faster violin sounds reminding me a bit of Mahavishnu Orchestra and some jazz fusion giants. The nuances made by guitar are beautiful and all the changes created here let us know how great composer Meier is.

"Serene" as the title suggests, is a laid-back piece with a 4/4 rhythm but with a beautiful and relaxing sound, one can close the eyes and feel incredibly satisfied. "Kismet" is an extraordinary composition that evokes oriental lands, I love how it has both fast and slow moments, vertiginous and delicates, it is one of my favourite songs here. The album finishes with "JB Top" which is the rockiest and heaviest of them all, in fact, the sound is so different from the previous tracks that one could think it would not fit in here, however, it is a nice surprise and I believe it was a wonderful chose for a closing track.

If you still don't know Nicolas Meier's work, you should change it immediately. Highly recommended!

Enjoy it!

Swiss musician and composer Nicolas MEIER is a well versed musician, the leader of a metal band Seven7, who has been a part of the Jeff Beck Band and is the band leader of his own Nicolas Meier Group. His first solo outing was released back in 2010, and two more solo albums, plus a collaborative one, have appeared since then. "Infinity" is Meier's third and most recent solo album. It was released by the prestigious US label Favored Nations in 2016.

While I suspect that one could argue back and forth quite a bit about whether or not this CD belongs to jazz rock or world music, the important bit about it is that it is a really good one. An affection for instrumental music is obviously needed, and a soft spot for music with a recurring exotic and at times mystical atmosphere is also a requirement for the listener. But those who recognize themselves in such a description, and then in particular those fascinated by compositions where wandering, plucked guitars are central, will most likely find "Infinity" to be a CD well worth acquiring.