Scottish Guitar Quartet
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Scottish Guitar Quartet

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"NOT MUSIC FOR DILUTING WHISKY"

The world has once again taken on the shape of a guitar – at the eighth Osnabruck Open Strings Festival. Its organiser, Peter Finger, is more than a travelling guitarist – he has once again become a great discoverer of talent. Finger got to know the Scottish Guitar Quartet, for example, in a pub in the provincial Scottish town of Ullapool in the midst of a heated discussion - on the dilution of whisky. He was on the point of “getting into hot water” when the group came to his aid. Stories such as this associate the folklore of sociability with undoubted amateur-status. But for Finger, though he has this scene at heart as both teacher and author, the stage at his festival is reserved for the best “full-professionals”. As such the Scots conducted themselves in a most wonderful manner. The four virtuosos, of whom Nigel Clark matches the brilliance of the famous John McLaughlin/Paco De Lucia/Al Di Meola Trio, began with strongly organised music which quoted from Baroque and Impressionist Classical styles and only in little flourishes introduced aspects of World, Folk and Jazz-Articulation. Later these elements were reinforced with long improvisations and experiences from Mainstream-Jazz and Gypsy-Swing in which each player became by turns soloist and accompanist. The result was a breath-taking event.
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Sept 30th 2005


"Four Blokes Breaking All The Rules"

... "Who would have thought it? Four blokes of a certain age and varying musical backgrounds have become the biggest genre-breaking act Scotland has produced in recent memory, rewriting the rules with a natural verve that can take the breath away" (Colin Somerville).
- Scotland On Sunday


"A National Asset"

..."The material is uniformly strong...not least on 'Near the Circle', the brilliant tick-tocking finale which alone should confirm the Quartet's status as a national asset" (Rab Adams). - The Herald


"Performance Review"

..."It is quite mesmerising, and totally unlike any more conventional line-up, and the relative unity of sound allows an enormous variety of composition" (Sholto Byrnes).
- The Independent


"SCOTTISH GUITAR QUARTET - Live Review"

Eden court theatre, Inverness

"Despite that classical-sounding name, the Scottish Guitar Quartet are a jazz group with a substantial pedigree. Malcolm MacFarlane formed the band with Ged Brockie, Kevin MacKenzie and Nigel Clark last year. All four players use lightly amplified acoustic guitars, an unusual but not entirely unprecedented format for jazz.
All four had ample scope to demonstrate their qualities as soloists, their deft interplay and clever use of bass lines and percussive effects usually filled any gaps in effective fashion.
Their own material dominated the set, with MacFarlane and Brockie the main contributors.

MacFarlane’s ‘Denial’ (based on Charlie Parker’s ‘Confirmation’) allowed all four players to show off their fluency in a pure bebop idiom. Most of the other tunes drew on more diverse influences from folk, rock and even classical sources, as in the evocative, almost New Age flow of Ged Brockie’s ‘ One More Day’, or the overt gypsy references in his fiery ‘Dance of the Gypsy King’."
- Jazzwise Nov 2001 – Kenny Mathieson


Discography

2006 - Near The Circle Re-release on Circular
2005 - Landmarks - Circular
2003 - Fait Accompli - Circular
2001 - Near The Circle - Caber

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Bio

Formed in the spring of 2000, The Scottish Guitar Quartet have toured extensively in UK, Ireland and in Europe.
Inspired by Celtic, Modern Classical and Jazz combined with World Music, the four guitarist-composers create a unique musical panorama; bringing together diverse elements to produce a powerful, elegant, distinctive sound.
Each musician has his own individual 'voice', a vital ingredient in any ensemble, and the textures and timbres produced by the Scottish Guitar Quartet ensure an electrifying experience for every listener.

Nigel Clark - Signed to New York label Arkadia Records, Nigel is a stunning performer who has worked with pop/jazz chart-toppers Hue and Cry and legendary jazz singer Carol Kidd. An unbelievably gifted guitarist, he has a worldwide reputation that continues to grow.

Malcolm MacFarlane - A truly awesome guitarist and composer who not only worked in the London scene at the very highest level for over a decade, but toured extensively with Barbara Thompson, Shakatak and recently Jamie Cullum.

Kevin MacKenzie - Without doubt a rare and incredible musical talent busy not only in the Jazz field but across the Scottish folk scene as well. Recently honoured in his home country by receiving a prestigious "Creative Scotland" award, Kevin has numerous album releases and has toured extensively across Europe and the US.

Ged Brockie - A truly gifted guitarist and prolific composer not only for SGQ, but writing for numerous groups including media broadcast/film projects. Ged also works with a Hollywood composer of note for a filmscoring program as well as busying himself with educational programs and having input with new sample products.