js On Nicolas Meier’s latest album he decided to give his fans an extra treat, in that what we have here is not one, or two, but three CDs of excellent music. First there is “Magnificent”, a studio album featuring his ‘World Group’ ensemble, then there is, “Live”, which is the same group recorded in concert, and finally, “Stories”, which is Nicolas performing solo. The group is the same one that recorded the previous “Peaceful”, Kevin Glasgow on bass, Richard Jones on violin, Demi Garcia-Sabat on percussion and Nicolas on a variety of guitars. In fact, “Live” is made up of the same tracks that were featured on “Peaceful”, only performed in front of an audience this time around.

Nicolas’ compositions draw from a mix of Spanish, Turkish, Balkan, Middle-Eastern and North African influences. His ensemble, with its mix of violin, unfretted guitar, high end fretless bass and hand percussion is perfect for this style of music. Much of the music from the aforementioned cultures leans heavily on unfretted string instruments that allow for the colorful ornaments that are added to the melodies. We are all familiar with western artists such as Paul Simon or David Byrne who plunder other cultures and then cast them aside. Such is not the case with Meier who displays a deep understanding and commitment to the cultures he is interested in. His original compositions breathe these various musical styles in a very natural way. Nicolas is an excellent composer with a gift for remarkable melodies that capture the sounds of the different regions that inspire him, which he then presents with art pop gem like structures reminiscent of artists like Brian Wilson or Brian Eno.

The band has very balanced interactions in which soloists and accompanists blend to make an ensemble sound of intertwining voices. Particularly noteworthy is how Jones will add counter melodies on the violin behind Meier’s guitar solos. On the live CD, Jones occasionally uses an echo device which gives the band an expansive psychedelic sound. On the solo CD, Nicolas covers several jazz standards and shows he is no slouch on the jazz tip with his broad open sound similar to Pat Metheny or Bill Frisell. One surprise is a reading of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” which becomes a jazz standard with a few chord extensions here and there.

js Nicolas Meier’s new album may be titled “Peaceful”, but don’t expect music that is timid or dull, instead, the music on here is exciting, energetic and very rhythmic. More than likely the term peaceful alludes to the positive vibes and peace encouraging all inclusive international flavor of Meier’s latest opus. For this one Nicolas has assembled his all acoustic World Group Quartet, consisting of himself on fretted and fretless guitars, Kevin Glasgow on bass, Richard Jones on violin and Demi Garcia on percussion. Together they take on musical styles from all over the globe including Gypsy, Samba, Middle Eastern, Spanish, Turkish and more. Meier takes most of the solos, and much like fellow guitarist George Benson, Nicolas makes his fleet scale runs sound easy, as if he is never breaking a sweat as he pulls of runs that would fatigue most. Jones takes a few solos too, but often backs up Nicolas with harmonies and background pedal points.

“Peaceful” opens with, “Besiktas”, a very continental flavored waltz with a bit of gypsy to it before they head into the high energy “Manzanita Samba”. The CD title track is a floating middle-eastern flavored ambient track that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Bill Laswell album. Many of the following tracks continue the middle eastern theme, often with very pronounced percussion driven grooves. “Water Lillies” takes us to Spain complete with the requisite hand clapping rhythmic backing. The album closes with “Soho Square’, a bluesy number with a loping rhythm somewhere in between gospel and western swing. Quite simply, “Peaceful” is as pleasant as the title implies, but never placid.

js Nicolas Meier had been the best guitar player nobody heard of for some time before some high profile gigs with Jeff Beck changed all that. An inventive guitar duo group with Pete Oxley also helped raise his profile, and now his joining with top notch labels like MGP and MoonJiune should help put Meier in the limelight where he belongs. A virtuoso on a multitude of fretted and non-fretted string instruments, Nicolas is equally at home playing jazz, fusion, metalish-rock or music from around the entire world. On his recent CD, “Infinity”, Meier displays his love for mid-Eastern fusion mixed with contemporary jazz and classic progressive rock.

“Infinity” opens with the heavy riffing of “The Eye of Horus”, which sounds like a Turkish influenced blend of Cream and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Some may be surprised that following track, “Still Beautiful”, offers a softer side to Meier’s music, but “Infinity” is not your typical guitar slinging hyper active fusion album, as Meier also draws upon a highly developed sense of melody and texture too. Many of the tracks on here feature Meier’s Middle-Eastern fusion, but there are others, such as the aforementioned “Still Beautiful”, as well as “Tales”. “Rose on Water” and “Serene” that are more similar to a cross between European contemporary jazz and progressive rock ballads. Of this bunch. “Rose on Water” stands out. Of the fusion tracks, the high energy of “Legend” and “Flying Spirits” capture Meier’s more aggressive playing. The sound of violin figures heavily throughout this album as three guest violinists make sure the instrument is featured on almost every track. The album closes with “JB Top”, supposedly a tribute to Billy Gibbons, but this track doesn’t sound like ZZ Top, but more like generic rock that sounds out of place compared to the rest of the tracks.

“Infinity” has cross appeal to a variety of audiences, including fans of Turkish music, jazz fusion, contemporary jazz and progressive rock. Every track has its own unique orchestrated electro-acoustic sound. with enough interesting arrangements to keep the listener engaged.