Nicolas Meier World Group: Live
Author: Andy Robson
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
Gerald Watkins (d) |
Label: |
Basin Street Records |
Magazine Review Date: |
August/2020 |
Media Format: |
CD |
Catalogue Number: |
0306 |
RecordDate: |
5 May 2017 |
Like so many artists, live is where its at for Meier. His buoyant stage presence, the range of colours he eases from his choir of guitars and related instruments, and the passion he has for his unique meld of Turkish, Balkan and jazz modes make his gigs a vibrant experience, a mezze of the marvelous. And the band aren't bad either.
Recorded just before lockdown, Live captures the World band (the clue about their music is in the title) at the climax of their Peaceful tour. And indeed the tone of much of the music, from the dance filled ‘Manzanita Samba’ to the waltzing ‘Besiktas Café’ is underwritten with a chilled sense of sharing and harmony.
Not that it's ever smug: Jones shares Meier's lyric facility, but he's never content to play second fiddle, his lines weave with but also counterpoint Meier. But it's the drones and bends, the moody, mystic journeying of the likes of ‘Caravan of Anatolia’ that tease the ear and mark out Meier and the World band's difference. Being Peaceful ain't easy; it takes commitment, discipline, technique. It's Meier's art to shape those qualities and magic them invisible, leaving the tranquility to breathe through.
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