Nicolas Meier - Orient (2005)

b. 1973, Switzerland. Meier studied guitar from the age of 12, with part of his musical education taking place at the Fribourg Conservatoire. From his earliest days, he drew influences from diverse musical sources including jazz, classical, flamenco, rock, Latin and, later, the Middle East, especially Turkey, which is his wife’s homeland. Interested in many aspects of contemporary music, Meier formed his own band, No Miss No Mess, with which he performed at numerous venues in Switzerland, including the Festival du Locle, winning the Rock BPS award as Best Musician. He also toured Italy and France. Meier recorded albums under his own name and also worked with Max Jendly’s Big Band Du Conservatoire Fribourg. Jendly was one of his tutors for arranging and another was Francy Boland. Among his guitar influences Meier lists Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin and flamenco player Tomasito, while other jazz influences include Chick Corea.

From 1994 Meier studied at Berklee College of Music in the USA. Back in Switzerland, he formed the Meier Group, with which band he played at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the early 00s, Meier made his base in London, playing jazz mainly at clubs and also appearing on several record dates. Regular members of his London group include saxophonists Gilad Atzmon, Dave O’Higgins and Rob Laver, bass player Tom Mason and drummer Asaf Sirkis. Meier has also played with the nu-metal band Avoidance Of Doubt. Active in education as guitar tutor at Goldsmith’s University and at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, Meier is also the author of music instruction books including Heavy Metal Part 1: Rhythm Guitar and Jazz Part 1: Chord Tones. Meier has also recorded classical music, including Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’.