Video of the Day: Guitarist Nigel Price shares ‘Cariba!’ from new album 'Wes Re-imagined'

Leading UK guitarist Nigel Price returns with a sumptuous new album, Wes Re-imagined, on 4 June via Ubuntu Music, with the renowned six-stringer saluting the West Coast sound of guitar icon Wes Montgomery. Featuring Price’s core trio of Hammond player Ross Stanley and drummer Joel Barford, the album also includes guest appearances by the twin saxophones of Vasilis Xenopoulos (on tenor) and Tony Kofi (on alto), plus conguero Snowboy on percussion. The album also includes three special string quartet arrangements for the Phonograph Effect Strings, written and conducted by arranger/trumpeter Callum Au.

Speaking about the album Price said: “I haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel in any way – it’s just a kind of “what if? The great man’s tunes are played in the same spirit but with a little look at what might have been. So, ‘Leila’ moves from a cool ‘west coast’ vibe to an out and out burner, ‘Far Wes’ to a waltz and ‘Road Song’ from a bossa to a grooving shuffle,” says Price. “I also think that Wes had an honest, direct and melodic style which influenced a lot of the funk, soul, boogaloo and earthy groove music that was to come shortly after his passing. I have no doubt that he would have been at the forefront of that movement. Therefore, I’ve intertwined some of these later styles with Wes’ music.”

And as government Covid restrictions are eased, road warrior Price will take the music on tour at the following dates: 606 Club, London *livestream* (17 April ); Cambridge Modern Jazz Club (24 June), The Lighthouse, Deal (1 July), Knockstock Festival, Kent (11 July); Isle Of Wight Jazz Weekend (12 September); The Jazz Sanctuary, Twickenham (24 September); The Hive, Shrewsbury (9 October); Stratford Jazz (13 October); Seven Jazz, Leeds (21 October) and Fleece Jazz, Suffolk (9 December).

See the video below and for more info visit nigethejazzer.com