This is a very enjoyable album, and one which illustrates how jazz – like the English language – can be greatly enriched by combining with elements from various cultures.
MGP Records MGPCD028
Nicolas Meier (nylon string fretted and fretless guitars; steel string & 12 string guitars; glissentar; jazz guitar); Demi Garcia Sabat (percussion); Richard Jones (violin); Tom Mason (acoustic bass); Alex Hutton (piano); Randolph Matthews (vocals); José Almarcha (flamenco guitar on ‘A Night In Sant Cugat)
Recorded Slipway Studios and MGP Studios January and April 2026
George Cole 27 August 2026
Some people collect mementos or souvenirs on their travels, but Nicolas Meier collects sounds and sonic inspirations. The Swiss-born guitarist, who resides in the UK, absorbs the sounds of the places he visits and then integrates them into his music. The result is an album that has sounds from afar as the Middle East and Turkey, and North Africa and South America. On this record, jazz meets Flamenco, the Tango, folk and much more.
Nicolas Meier is one of those musicians whose output leaves you breathless. Still only fifty-three, he has released a dozen solo albums, and numerous band albums including his trio and the World Group – this is the latter’s third release. He has also recorded more than half a dozen guitar duo albums with Peter Oxley, and plays in a heavy metal band. Meier’s guitar virtuosity caught the attention of the late Jeff Beck and they played together on two world tours.
The World Group is normally a quartet composed of Meier, percussionist Demi Garcia Sabat, bassist Tom Mason and violinist Richard Jones, but on this album the line-up is augmented by pianist Richard Jones and vocalist Randolph Matthews, who add lots of new tones, textures and colours to the music. Flamenco guitarist José Almarcha makes a guest appearance on one track.
Meier mostly plays acoustic guitar, and a Glissentar, which is a cross between an oud and a classical guitar. There is also a light sprinkling of jazz guitar here and there.
The album has a dozen songs on this album, ten of them composed by Meier. The opening number is a cover of Charlie Chaplin’s song ‘Smile.’ Like Jeff Beck (who once recorded ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’), Meier has a keen ear for a strong melody and he was inspired to cover this when he visited Chaplin’s former home in Switzerland. This cover is a powerful rendition, with a soaring vocal performance by Randolph Matthews.
The title track is a lively number, inspired by the music of Western Asia, and you can imagine crowds of people dancing and clapping their hands to it in a big circle. ‘Colossal,’ inspired by Egyptian music, has a dreamy feeling, with Jones’ violin gliding like a bird and the music evoking the image in this listener’s mind of a caravan trekking slowly across the vast desert dunes.
‘Mystical’ is full of fire, heat and passion, and features a stirring bass solo from Mason. In contrast, ‘Beneath The Turquoise’ – one of the album’s highlights – is cool, spacious and slow, with Meier’s guitar and Jones’ violin combining to create a reflective mood, and Mathews delivering a vocal performance (double tracked in places) that is packed with emotion. Hutton’s flowing piano riffs also really add to the mix.
‘Mesa,’ has a strong Turkish influence and a dramatic opening – you can feel the tension in the air. Demi Garcia Sabat (who is a superb percussionist) lays down a galloping beat over which Jones’s violin sweeps like an eagle. Meier plays a strong jazz guitar solo (with a sprinkling of distortion), on this number. Jones follows with an energetic violin solo, and before you know it, this splendid tune comes to an abrupt end. I’d love to see this tune played live.
‘A Night in Sant Cugat’(a town northwest of Barcelona) features Meier and José Almarcha on acoustic guitars. Matthews sings its uplifting theme, supported by Jones’ violin. At the two-minute point, the band drops out, leaving Almarcha to play an expressive solo on Flamenco guitar. The solo gradually builds up in power and intensity, and the band re-enters with smooth, mid-tempo groove and stirring vocals from Matthews. The two guitarists then briefly trade fours before Matthews’ vocals see the song out.
‘Clouds’ is well-named as the music has a calm drifting feeling. The Turkish-inspired ‘Kekova Street’ offers lots of heat and passion. Meier plays the song’s dramatic theme with great speed and fluency, and around the two-minute point, there is a dramatic full stop, followed by a slow cymbal crash, and Hutton’s delicate piano solo. Jones’ violin solo starts off soaring into the stratosphere. At the song’s conclusion, violin and percussion combine to create an exciting mix – it’s yet another album highlight.
The album ends with a second cover, Oscar Peterson’s ‘Hymn To Freedom’ from the 1963 album Night Train. This slow blues number is played with great feeling, Demi Garcia Sabat using brushes to create a soft beat over which Meier and Jones play the theme together. This is a very enjoyable album, and one which illustrates how jazz – like the English language – can be greatly enriched by combining with elements from various cultures. Meier and his band have created a captivating collection of songs infused with sounds and rhythms from around the world.
