FINDING ONE’S OWN VOICE IN THE OVERCROWDED FIELD OF GUITAR CAN BE A DAUNTING ADVENTURE. SWISS BORN NICOLAS MEIER IS ONE OF THE FEW WHO HAS BEEN ABLE TO SOUND BOTH UNIQUE AND ACCESSIBLE. HE FIRST GOT ON THE MAP BY GETTING THE ATTENTION OF GUITAR LEGEND JEFF BECK AND TOURED WITH HIM FOR AWHILE.
SINCE THEN, HE HAS RELEASED A HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE ALBUM UNDER HIS OWN NAME, INFINITY, WHICH SHOWS THE WIDE RANGING COLORS THAT HIS SIX STRINGS CAN PRODUCE IN BOTH ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC GUITAR.
WE RECENTLY HAD A CHAT WITH MEIER, WHO WAS ABLE TO GIVE AN INTRIGUING PERSPECTIVE ON THE GUITAR AND THE STATE OF MODERN MUSIC.
YOU WERE BORN IN SWITZERLAND. WHEN DID SWITZERLAND BECOME A BREEDING GROUND FOR JAZZ ARTISTS?
I was born in Fribourg, about 40 minutes from Montreux, Switzerland, so my connection with jazz was very direct with the Montreux Jazz Festival. I went to see Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter and Joe Satriani on the same night. My first concert! It was outstanding; I was about 12.
WHAT HIT YOU ABOUT IT TO INSPIRE YOU?
My father was a doctor. He also was a big fan of jazz and classical music; he had a chance to see Miles, Coltrane and Monk in Paris. As I was getting into guitar, he saw I was getting interested in it, so this was the concert that he took me to. It was not my choice to see this concert, he told me that it would be a great night to see all of these great influences.
It was a busy night, so I couldn’t meet Santana or Shorter, but with Satriani it was his first big tour, when he was doing Surfing with the Alien. It was not advertised as a big name or event on the program, so I had the chance to meet him.
It was about 2 in the morning when he finished; there were about 200 people still left watching him. I jumped up on to the stage after the gig and I wanted his pick for a memory!
WHEN YOU WENT TO SCHOOL, DID YOU LEARN ALL TYPES OF GUITAR, OR JUST CLASSICAL?
I did jazz and classical. My main guitar teacher was a jazz/world music player. At the Fribourg Conservatory where I had my education there was a big classical section which I took part of; I took some classical guitar lessons and learned harmony. There were also some great arranging teachers at that school, too. It’s not a famous conservatory, but it was outstanding in terms of teachers.
THERE SEEM TO BE SCHOOLS FOR JAZZ AND CLASSICAL, BUT WAS IT DIFFICULT TO FIND A “SCHOOL” FOR ROCK AND BLUES?
There were none at that time; it was too fresh. Nothing started until about 10-15 years later. Now there are plenty of rock schools and academies of music. I teach at one of them where I live in Guildford; there is the ACM, The Academy of Contemporary Music. It’s based on progressive rock, but all types of people come in, even jazz players and heavy metal players. It’s more contemporary.
YOU’VE BEEN TO AMERICA TO PLAY HOW MANY TIMES?
I’ve toured with Jeff Beck for three tours.
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET BECK’S ATTENTION?
I was playing at Ronnie Scott’s (London) with a friend of mine, and Beck was there, staying late. He enjoyed one of the tunes we were playing. He enjoyed my kind of jazzy yet oriental sound. We started talking after that.
I told him that I had a new album coming out and that I’m doing an album launch in a club next door in a few weeks. He came again to hear the album launch, and it was fantastic. It was my album From Istanbul to Ceuta With a Smile. It’s a big piece where it starts in Istanbul and ends in Spain with different influences from the Mediterranean.
He enjoyed that; we started jamming at his house, and that was it. We then went off on tour.
DID HE GIVE YOU ANY MUSICAL TIPS OR ADVICE?
He never really told me “Nic, please do this” or “you’d better do that.” He was more “Let’s play.” I’d say “I have these two guitars; which one do you prefer-the 12 string or the nylon?” He’d answer, “Let’s go with that one.” I had to feel my way through it more. Of course, I’d know if I was on the right was or not by looking at his reaction. Most of the time it went well.
He was always very supportive. Sometimes in front of the camera he would say I was better than he. Stuff like that. When he was off stage, I could see him clapping at me and telling me that I was good and he believed in me.
DO YOU NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EUROPEAN AUDIENCES AND AMERICAN AUDIENCES?
I found the American audience very welcoming and very warm. I enjoyed meeting the people before and after the concert; they were very grateful for what we were doing. They were vocal in their support.
We also did two tours in Japan, which was also really fantastic. You could also feel the support of the people but it was a very different audience. They are very quiet; then they’re going to clap really loud all together, and then they get quiet again waiting for the next thing to happen. There’s no interval with noise. It was different, but outstanding.
YOU HAVE ALBUMS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF STYLES, HEAVY METAL, JAZZ, FLAMENCO AND WORLD. DOES EACH STYLE HAVE YOU APPROACH THE GUITAR WITH A DIFFERENT MENTALITY, OR IS IT MORE THE CHOICE OF THE GUITAR?
I think that it all started when I was young and full of love with all kinds of music. First there was Metallica and Iron Maiden, and then to Chick Corea with my teacher along with Jobim and finally getting into flamenco with Paco De Lucia, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin. The variety of music that I listened to made me want to learn all of these styles. I wish that I could play all of the styles very well.
But what I’m trying is any style that is beautiful. I’m trying to get in as many influences as I can from each side and then interpret it my way so that it becomes individual.
Over the years I had always loved metal, because that was the first thing that I played. So, even though I was making a living playing jazz or rock, I had to have a metal project on the side where I would write and produce, play concerts and make videos. I’ve always kept it going.
YOU PLAY A VARIETY OF STYLES THAT CAN MIX TOGETHER. IS THERE AN ADVANTAGE OF PLAYING “FUSION” OR IS THERE A GREATER STRENGHT OR WEAKNESS IN “PURE” JAZZ, ROCK OR CLASSICAL?
When I was studying at Berklee, I could see the young guitarists that were really good talents, and saw my friends playing a certain style with such an authenticity, which was great. The blues with a feeling or rock so right. Even though I was playing all of these styles, and trying to be authentic be it Coltrane or Miles, I found it difficult to try to copy them exactly.
So I decided “I’m going to try to copy it, and then incorporated it as an influence.” At the end, I understood that what was most important is for me to have my own voice. I could have a limit of Miles, a limit of Paco and a limit of John McLaughlin all to come into myself. All of this would be more difficult to be successful, but in the end I think it will have a bigger impact.
YOUR LATEST ALBUM INFINITY HAS VERY LITTLE ELECTRIC GUITAR. MOST OF THE TIME IT IS ACOUSTIC AND NYLON.1140
It also started when I was at Berklee. I was looking for the right guitar. I first had a Telecaster; I then went to Mike Stern to learn about distortion and the “clean” guitar sound. I then got into the George Benson one, then the Pat Metheny guitar…
Suddenly, my teacher Mark White gave me a nylon string guitar. I played it, and it was speaking much more to me. I made the decision then and there “That’s how I’m going to play jazz; that’s how I’ll play most of my music.” The nylon strings speak better my language.
I now have a sponsorship and have plenty of those acoustic guitars and strings. So, it seems that the nylon strings are really working for me. I like both fretless and fretted.
YOU’VE ALSO TAPPED INTO MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC, WHICH I CONSIDER THE “NEW BOSSA NOVA” IN TERMS OF INFLUENCING JAZZ AND MAKING IT PALATABLE TO A LARGER AUDIENCE
I like that phrase, “the new bossa nova.” It started about 15 years ago I met my wife, and she’s from Turkey. I now have a big family in Turkey and some family in Romania, so you can imagine the mixing of Turkish folk music with a bit of Bohemian gypsy blending in. I just love all of the instruments that they use.
I’ve met a number of musicians in Istanbul, some real famous ones and I took a few lessons. I have an oud, and an 11 stringed instrument similar to an oud called a glissentar. I’m trying to get all of these Turkish and Oriental sounds into my music, and I’m trying to play as close as possible to the folk music that they play, but mix it with the way that I play. I take their influence and hopefully make something new out of it.
BEING GREEK, I WAS INTRIGUED TO SEE YOU PLAYING A BAGLAMA ON THE ALBUM
The Greek music has so many similarities, which makes it beautiful.
AND EVEN BETTER, YOU GOT A WIFE THAT KNOWS HOW TO COOK MEDITERRANEAN!
Exactly (laughs)
YOUR ALBUM HAS VINNIE CALAIUTA ON DRUMS. DID YOU MEET HIM THROUGH JEFF BECK?
He played with Jeff Beck, but that’s not how I met him. I was in touch with Leonardo Pavkovic from Moonjune Records. He’s worked with Alan Holdsworth and Scott Henderson, and I’d known him for many years as he was always following my career.
He suggested a few ideas. He was in touch with (bassist) Jimmy Haslip and said to me “Why don’t you get in touch with these guys? Jeff played with Vinnie, why don’t you get something together?”
It was a great idea. So Vinnie helped me with the contract, and the fact that we both played with Jeff made it a bit easier. We started by jamming a bit, and were both surprised how easy it was to make this record.
THE FACT YOU RECORDED THE ALBUM DIFFERENT VIOLINISTS GIVE THE ALBUM VARIOUS FLAVORS, FROM CENTRAL ASIAN TO CLASSICAL.
I’ve played with quite a few violin players, and had a hard time to choose which one! They all know each other; I looked at what each one could do best on each song, and then fitted them together. I could have used just one, but I was trying to be nice.
THAT’S THE SWISS IN YOU; YOU’RE TRYING TO BE NEUTRAL AS POSSIBLE AND NOT SHOW FAVORITES
Exactly (laughs) One of the pieces “Rose on the Water” is more classical oriented, and Lizzie Ball is a classical violinist who’s played with Nigel Kennedy. She was the perfect catch with her sound.
DO YOU DO ANY ACTIVITIES, OR PRESCRIBE TO ANY RELIGION OR PHILOSOPHY TO KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED?
Every year I like to do 1-2 productions or albums. The process of going to different places, travelling with my wife to Turkey or driving around the world makes me want to find more music in the world.
Also meeting different musicians. Last year we had the chance to go to Indonesia, so I started to write a bit of music with an Indonesian influence. Meeting all of these people and listening to all of this beautiful folk music makes me want to do more. I’m continually in discovery. More music makes you want to discover more.
I’m a Protestant, and I really enjoy following my religion, but after all of these years with my wife being a Muslim , and having all of the different religions around the world, I’ve learned that there’s good in every religion. The goal hopefully goes into the same direction.
ARE YOU COMING TO AMERICA?
We’ll be playing in NYC at the Iridium in June. Hopefully we’ll book some more across the USA
THOSE LOOKING FOR AN EXCITING NEW APPROACH TO THE GUITAR WILL HAVE A FRIEND IN NICOLAS MEIER. HIS ALBUM IS FILLED WITH CREATIVE MOMENTS, AND IT INVITES YOU TO CHECK OUT WHEN HE TOURS AS A LEADER INTO YOUR TOWN.
www.meiergroup.com