Featured Artist: Nigel Clark

CD Title: In Concert: Live From Scotland

Year: 2007

Record Label: Arkadia DVD

Style: Jazz DVD / Video

Musicians: Nigel Clark (guitar), Ewen Vernal (bass), Mike Bradley (drums)

Review:

A native of Glasgow, Scotland, guitarist Nigel Clark combines lightning fast technique with flowing melodic ideas to create a vibrant nylon-string approach. Clark’s resume includes stints with big name artists including Madonna, Carol Kidd, U2 and Tito Puente. In Concert: Live From Scotland captures the guitar virtuoso in an intimate club setting with bassist Ewan Vernal and drummer Mike Bradley, creating a distinctive blend of straight-ahead jazz, Latin and Gypsy music.

The musical selections range from standards like “East of the Sun,” Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Once I Loved,” John Coltrane’s blistering “Impressions,” to intricate compositions penned by Clark. As impressive as Clark is interpreting the classic repertoire, it is his own compositions (“Grand Hotel Europa,” “In Another Moment” and “Sakura Samba”) that reveal the full scope of his artistic vision. The harmonically lush ballad “In Another Moment” stands out as one of the more soulful tracks on the disc, featuring a brilliant solo by bassist Vernal.

Interspersed throughout the presentation are snippets of Clark discussing the influence behind each piece, as well as reflections on growing up in Scotland. The multiple camera angles allow for wide-angle shots of the trio and individual close-ups, including zoom-ins of the guitarist’s nimble fret work.

Bonus features include a companion audio CD with bonus tracks, a complete biography of the artist and additional concert footage. For those unfamiliar with Clark, In Concert: Live From Scotland, is an impressive introduction to an artist of enormous talent. A must have for guitarists.

Record Label Website: http://www.arkadiadvd.com

Reviewed by: John Barron

Click here for printer-friendly version of review.

Send this page to a friend.