Silence Talks is the latest and most eloquent musical statement from guitarist Nicolas Meier and his band. It is the sound of a band that have been playing together for more than three years and where every member brings their own distinct musical voice to the music in an ongoing musical conversation. This dialogue and empathy shines through every note of this, their third, album together as Meier’s increasingly confident compositions provide a natural launch point for some dazzling investigations of his own unique eastern-flecked jazz.
Silence Talks is the third album from UK based Swiss guitarist Nicolas Meier and the Meier Group and his previous albums Orient and Yuz have received widespread acclaim and scooped two awards in 2006 at the prestigious Revelations Jazz A Juan festival in France: Best Guitar and the Grand Jury Prize. Critics and admirers alike are drawn to his superb guitar playing but also to his multifaceted compositions drawing on Methenyesque fusion, straight ahead jazz and Turkish and Eastern influences (Meier’s wife is Turkish and he is a frequent traveler to that amazing country where East meets West).
The album opens with October in Ankara inspired by the sounds of that wild city (the melody came to Meier when the band played there in 2006), while the meditative title track (on which Meier plays a Godin "Glissentar" fretless guitar with 11 strings) is inspired by the tranquil beauty of Fethiye. Turquoise mixes jazz with flamenco and eastern sounds and Dance of the Rain is a Turkish dance (check out Atzmon’s solo), Deniz’s Love is for a new addition to Meier’s Turkish family and features him on nylon string guitar and the album closer A Rose In The Pyrenees recalls a happy trip and provides a fine end to the album. |