The opening night of the Calstock Jazz and Blues Festival showcases Swiss guitarist Nicolas Meier, one of the rising stars of a vibrant British jazz scene.
His trademark sound fuses Methenyesque jazz with spicy Turkish and world music rhythms. Already well known in Europe, his Meier Group has toured extensively and shared the bill with such illustrious names as Brad Mehldau and Bill Evans.
Drawing on a love of Turkish and Eastern music, Meier has developed his own unique sound, fusing jazz, flamenco, Latin and Middle-Eastern influences on both guitar and glissentar.
Writing in The Guardian, John Fordham described Meier’s debut album Orient as “a seductive balance of strong themes, inventive improvising and dynamic variety”.
Nicolas will be joined by saxophonist Dave O’Higgins, a major name on the international jazz scene. He has recorded and performed with some of the giants of contemporary jazz, including Jim Mullen, Kyle Eastwood and many others.
Jazz Guide magazine describes O’Higgins as “a stunning player in the neo-bop vein, with an apparently effortless flow of coherent ideas, beautiful time and a highly developed harmonic sense.”
This powerhouse quintet is completed by Demi Garcia on percussions, Pat Bettison on bass and harmonica, and drummer Laurence Lowe.
The Nicolas Meier Group - Featuring Dave O'Higgins
