PEACEFUL (AS NICOLAS MEIER WORLD GROUP)

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.