Here is Nics biography; London based Swiss guitarist Nicolas Meier is one of the rising stars of an effervescent British jazz scene, his trademark sound is a vibrant Metheny-esque jazz with a Middle Eastern kick to it. Nicolas Meier was born in Switzerland in 1973. He began studying guitar at the age of twelve under Francis Coletta at the Conservatoire Fribourg. He eventually studied arranging with Max Jendly and Francis Boland, obtaining his Certificat de Guitare Jazz there in 1993. He subsequently received a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he stayed for three years concluding in 1997 with a Diploma in Music. Since forming the suitably named Nicolas Meier Group, Nick has toured extensively in Europe in clubs and festivals. In 2006 Nicolas Meier won the prestigious Grand Prize of the Jury and 1st Prize Jazz Guitar at Jazz a Juan Revelations 2006, a competition open to the finest new jazz musicians and bands in Europe. Nicolas Meier has also built a formidable reputation in the United Kingdom, with his group becoming ever more solid. Israeli world-bebop saxophonist, Gilad Atzmon, bassist and harmonists Pat Bettison and drummer Asaf Sirkis. Among other band members are/were: saxophonist Dave O’Higgins, Mark Lockhart, Mornington Locket, Tim Garland, Greg Heath, pianist James Pearson, Jose Reinoso, Chris Jerome, Thierry Lang, bassists Kevin Glasgow, Paolo Minervini, drummer Laurence Lowe, drummer/percussionist Demi Garcia and violinist Lizzie Ball. Meier draws on a multitude of influences: Jazz, Flamenco, Latin and middle-eastern music are all passionately explored in a series of heartfelt acoustic modern jazz originals and all represent part of Meiers musical and personal world. Nicks wife and muse, Songül, is Turkish-born and time spent in her native country has always inspired the textures, melodies, rhythms and instrumentation that shine through in Meiers work like the Ankara sunrise. Meier’s sound is rooted in his love of playing jazz on acoustic guitar, especially his Godin nylon string guitar (Nicolas is a Godin Artist). It’s a sound that lends itself especially to flamenco and Middle-Eastern music and it’s all these influences and more that Meier has so brilliantly fused together in his music. He also plays fretless acoustic guitar, which sounds something like a cross between an acoustic guitar and the oud (an Arabic stringed instrument) and the Saz, a traditional Turkish instrument. While his new album also features fretted and steel guitars, Godin glissentar (11 stringed instrument) and a baglama. His last two previous albums “Journey” and “Breeze” gave the band the opportunity to play in clubs and festivals all around the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey and more… The new albums “From Istanbul to Ceuta with a Smile” and “Kismet” were released in 2013. Nicolas has his own record label called “MGP Records” and helps other artists as well as his own different projects and bands: two albums with Eclectica! which features violinist Lizzie Ball, cellist Bernard Gregor-Smith and guitarist Pete Oxley (with who he also just released a live album call “Travels in the West”). He has also recorded Guidance featuring Vivaldis 4 Seasons with a guitar orchestra (acoustic, electric & synth guitars) for American Classical label Centaur and he continues to lead “Seven7” his nu-metal band, latest album “Under Eye” receiving some outstanding reviews.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 15:47:19 +0000
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