Nigel Clark - Nigel Clark: In Concert Live from Scotland (2021)

Nigel Clark's trio set in an intimate Scottish bar is a wide-ranging acoustic set that blurs boundaries, covering post-bop, Brazilian jazz and originals in an enticing performance. Clark's sound isn't overly derived from any of his predecessors on acoustic jazz guitar, while he also is a talented composer. Interspersed between the selections are brief interview excerpts, which are unfortunately embedded in the tracks, while it would have made more sense to have the interview feature as a separate program. The photography has an MTV flavor, as only two cameras were evidently used and one is given a grainy black & white texture for variety in the small venue. Highlights include the brisk samba treatment of "East of the Sun" and his soft ballad "In Another Moment." ~ Ken Dryden