Eduardo Niebla - St George's, 25/11/06

St George's Hall off Park Street, which boasts of being one of the finest acoustic venues in the country, was host to a creative exploration of musical possibilities from a trio comprising two guitars and an Indian tabla player. Eduardo Niebla, whose show title brings to mind a completely contrasting guitar legend - Hendrix - put on an explosive masterclass of instrumental virtuosity.

Born in Tangiers, Morocco to a family of diverse talent (one of his brothers apparently holds a drumming world record), Niebla has a fascinating tale of how he first became captivated by music: "My father was a runner, one of the champions in 40-50 kilometer distances, and when he won a race he would bring musicians home for the celebrations." This inspired him to take up the accordion from age 5, before moving to guitar a few years later while living in Spain.

So how did he arrive at the unique flamenco-jazz-fusion style which mesmerised Bristol's punters? "I listened to all kinds of music from an early age - classical, flamenco and jazz were always playing. And I always loved improvisation. I think my own music developed in a natural way from listening to so much different stuff."

Further opportunities came when Niebla moved to London in 1978 - "It was an awakening. I got to play with musicians from all over the world and learn about their cultures. Music is a universal language with many shapes, colours and ways; my style is based on being free, showing your feelings and playing with emotion."

Published in the Epigram, 15/1/07.