In just a few short years, UK-based guitarist Nicolas Meier
has carved a reputation out as one of the UK’s most original and uniquely
talented guitarists. Drawing from a love of Turkish, Eastern & Middle
Eastern music, Flamenco, Tango and more -- all mixed with jazz -- Meier is one
of the rising stars in a vibrant British jazz scene, but his versatility and
musical fluency extends well beyond that ... so much so, that his considerable
talents drew the attention of rock guitar legend, Jeff Beck, who has since made
Nicolas a mainstay in The Jeff Beck Group, carrying him on two world tours
during the course of the last several years.
Meier originally hails from Switzerland; born in 1973 to
parents who are great lovers of the arts, with wide-ranging musical tastes
extending to the Classical, Jazz, Latin, Flamenco, Rock and (even) Pop genres.
After picking up guitar at the age of 12, it was his father's gift of Joe
Satriani’s legendary "Surfing with the Alien" and Tony MacAlpine’s
"Maximum Security" (both, major intelligent rock "guitar-god"
albums), shortly thereafter, that served as Nicolas' earliest motivation.
Attending the Montreux Jazz Festival while still a young teen would further
expand Nicolas' vision for guitar, with John McLaughlin, in particular, being
of particular interest and inspiration.
A true gypsy spirit with a disciplined maestro's touch,
Nicolas has embraced a number of different cultures and studied their music
forms, nuances and idiosyncrasies. (It was during his Eurasia travels, early in
the new millennium, that Nicolas met his Turkish wife, Songul.) Meier’s sound
is rooted in his love of playing jazz on acoustic guitar, especially his Godin
nylon-string guitar. It’s a sound that lends itself especially well to flamenco
and middle-eastern music, also -- conveniently -- as these influences, and
more, are brilliantly fused in his unique multi-lingual style. He also plays
fretless acoustic guitar, the Saz (a traditional Turkish stringed instrument),
electric guitar, steel-string acoustic guitar, glissentar (an 11-stringed
fretless insturment) and a baglama.
During the course of his six-string baptism and global
sojourns, Nicolas has been the recipient of numerous awards. A truly dedicated
student of the instrument, he has pursued advanced studies at Switzerland's
prestigious Conservatoire de Fribourg, and studied arranging, prior to earning
a scholarship to Boston's illustrious Berklee College of Music. His burning
passion for both rock and jazz persists to this day, something he partly
credits to his teacher, Francis Coletta (at the Conservatoire de Fribourg),
who, while inspiring a profound love of jazz and world music, encouraged the
young man to transcribe rock solos, as well!
In fact, Meier is one of the rare musicians who plays both
metal and jazz fluently, and has written books on both: "Heavy Metal, Part
I: Rhythm Guitar," and; "Jazz, Part I: Chord Tones." When asked
about his two seemingly divergent loves, Nicolas had this to say: “I deeply
love both styles. There is magic in each style that the other one doesn’t have.
I just love metal’s power and energy, and at the same time I love jazz’s deep
emotion. Both styles can give high energy, but in different directions or
different worlds."
During his time at Berklee, Nicolas immersed himself in
classic American jazz (Parker; Coltrane; Miles; etc.), while performing
primarily acoustic jazz and fusion. After graduation, he returned to
Switzerland in 1998 and formed the Meier Group, a band that would quickly
become popular European festival regulars. Naturally, he gravitated to
Montreux, finding himself performing with the likes of Rachelle Ferrel, George
Duke, Macy Gray and Will Calhoun, among others.
It wasn't long, though, before Meier found himself missing
the vibrance and vitality of Boston. After considering possible relocations, he
settled on London as the perfect destination for combining the energy of the US
with a happening European music scene. Shortly after arriving in London,
Nicolas met drummer Asaf Sirkis, whom he credits with helping open his ears to
middle eastern music, as well as helping him find his feet in London. “He
(Asaf) is such a passionate player that I just had to keep playing with him
whenever I could. I met Gilad Atzmon through him, and many other great
players."
Never short on ambition, Meier founded his own record label,
MGP Records, in 2009. To date, he has produced a dozen of albums: as a solo
artist; in various group formats (The Meier Group; Nicolas Meier Trio;
Eclectica!); with his heavy metal band, Seven7, and; in a duo format, with UK
jazz maestro guitarist, Pete Oxley.
Having made a lasting impression on gentlemen the likes of
Jeff Beck, Bill Bruford and Steve Vai -- just to name a few! -- Nicolas Meier
is unquestionably one of today's most well-rounded, ambitious, masterful
up-and-coming talents on guitar. In October of 2016, Vai's Favored Nations
Records has released Nicolas' brilliant new solo album, "Infinity,"
featuring fellow virtuosos, veteran Jimmy Haslip, on bass, and one of the
world's great timekeepers, Vinnie Colaiuta.
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