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“The more I got to know him, the more I could tell he was interested in different sounds, from Indian classical to Middle Eastern”: Nicolas Meier was hand-picked by Jeff Beck. Now he’s honoring the late guitar icon with a sound that seeks new horizons
Meier on what he learned from Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía, and how in Jeff Beck he found a kindred spirit for guitar sounds with no limits
Not many guitar players can say they were personally recruited by Jeff Beck to join his band for a world tour. But, in the case of Nicolas Meier, the invitation is hardly surprising as this Swiss-born, UK-based musician has such a unique talent and sound.
This year Nicolas is releasing Last Sunset, a collection of songs inspired by his experiences and memories working alongside the much-missed guitar hero.
On tracks such as Plan 9, Strange Sensations and Bosphorus, it’s easy to gauge what a profound effect Beck had on him, with the tracks also mixing together elements of instrumental rock, jazz and world music into one breathtaking package.
It was by pure chance that Nicolas joined Beck’s band. Nicolas was performing at Ronnie Scott’s in London and the jazz-rock pioneer happened to be in attendance.
“We met after the show and I could see he was interested in my influences,” says Nicolas. “I was using nylon strings and fretless. He liked the music because it was a different approach to harmony.
“The more I got to know him, the more I could tell he was interested in [different] sounds, from Indian classical to Middle Eastern. That’s what made him Jeff Beck. He would learn things then do it his way.”
Blow By Blow
Nicolas Meier Infinity Group - Blasts from the Past (Official Video) - YouTube
The opportunity to play some of Beck’s most impactful instrumental guitar pieces is something Nicolas has never taken for granted.
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“I loved playing The Pump. It has this lovely groove underneath Jeff’s wonderful touch. My favourite track to play was Where Were You, because of Jeff’s harmonics and the sound he created with the whammy bar.
“I would play the chords underneath on a synth guitar, which was a challenge because a lot can go wrong. It took a lot of concentration. Another favourite was the Charles Mingus cover Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, which would lead into Brush With The Blues. It’s hard to pick because Jeff had 60 years of great music!”
(Image credit: Kazuyo Horie / Ross Halfin Photography)
International Influences
There are many standout guitar moments on Last Sunset, but Nicolas points to Yemin as one that holds great importance for his life and career.
“Jeff saw me perform that track, which led to him becoming interested in [my playing],” says the guitarist. “It was written in Turkey, so it has that influence mixed with fusion and rock. The melody is strong and there’s a crescendo before the chorus.
“Then it calms down and there’s space for improvisation in G. It’s not minor or major, you can do whatever you like with it, from Western or Indian or just stick to the blues.”
As its name would suggest, the final track on the album, The Eye Of Horus, has a North African twist.
“I was thinking of Egypt and being around the pyramids,” says Meier. “It needed a rock riff and then some of the melodies go towards that part of the world, before getting into more crazy fusion. Jeff and I worked on that track together.
“I remember we were on the top floor of his house playing really loud while his wife Sandra was dancing. We even ended up playing it live a few times.”
“For the acoustic parts, I used my Godin nylon-string and 12-string to make a nice carpet,” reveals Nicolas.
“I also used a Godin synth guitar. The leads were done on my 2014 Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci signature. I usually run two Fender Bassbreaker amps for a stereo sound. People seem to enjoy the extra dimension to the chorus and delay with that kind of rig.
“My main overdrive is the Analog Man King Of Tone and I used the Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork on Plan 9 and their Attack Decay tape reverse simulator on Bosphorus.”
Wired: Nicolas Meier on the other guitarists who inspired his sound
“Getting into Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía was a big moment for me. I loved hearing Al’s tango compositions combined with his incredible picking. Paco was using flamenco harmony but improvising like a jazz guy.
“John had this trio with Trilok Gurtu and Jeff Berlin who knew how to explore the line between jazz and rock, using Indian-style harmony. Around then, I met my wife who is Turkish and started listening to fretless players like Cenk Erdoğan and Erkan Oğur.”
Amit has been writing for titles like Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Guitar World for over a decade and counts Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Jeff Beck among his primary influences as a guitar player. He's worked for magazines like Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Prog, Record Collector, Planet Rock, Rhythm and Bass Player, as well as newspapers like Metro and The Independent, interviewing everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to Slash and Jimmy Page, and once even traded solos with a member of Slayer on a track released internationally. As a session guitarist, he's played alongside members of Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in London ensemble Metalworks, as well as handled lead guitars for legends like Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, The Faces) and Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, G3).
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