Among the gypsy jazz musicians that play guitar in the style of Django Reinhardt, there are a few that really stand out. Lollo a Dutch gypsy was raised on gypsy Jazz and started playing at the age of 12 with members of his family. He is truly a legacy of the old master and certainly belongs to an elite group. Gipsy blood runs through the veins of this absolute top guitar player who made his goal in life to carry on the music of Django Reinhardt. His technique and suppleness are amazing, his music refreshing, not the standard tunes that are often heard in this genre. His unique style of playing has resulted in his performance today which is an extraordinary talent, simply because he makes music he loves. In addition he is an accomplished composer of new tunes which have that genuine Django flavour. One could talk about his music for hours until you hear him, then silence sets in and the only thing left is sheer pleasure. A remarkable man with remarkable style of playing!. "Hondarribia" This second album of Lollo Meier refers to the sound of the second quintet of Django Reinhardt, the lesser known period of the forties with Hubert Rostaing with the clarinet. Lollo Meier and André Donni do not hide their admiration for this formidable clarinettist of Django and the result exceeds our hopes; with Domenica Piérard and Jonny Gee in the rhythm section, the two soloists offer up a marvellous homage, without hustle but... in music! Great spirit and very Hot Club! Also three splendid compositions of Lollo: two whirling waltzs (Melody for "Quecumbar" which turns and will turn a long time, and Hondarribia with a superb arrangement) and also a pretty ballad (the La Route de Paris whose intro will work the fingers in the thatched cottages!). The guitarist appears a formidable melodist here, very much like the musical quality and singing air that one associates with another formidable improviser, Fapy Lafertin. Virtuosity and technique, always present but remaining in the service of the music; one is in the spirit of Django, no doubt! As for Andre Donni, his playing marries that of Lollo admirably; these two were there! A soft and light sound, a constant inventiveness, lyrical flights never shouting at us... On the ballades, one would believe that the wind is blowing delicately! Lollo Meier's very great composition Melody for Le Quecumbar was entered in the jazz catagory of the 2005 International Songwriting competition Nashville USA The ISC received almost 15,000 entries from 80 countries, and the finalists selected represent 1.4% of the total number of entries. April 11, 2006 -- The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce the winners for its 2005 annual competition. ISC received almost 15,000 entries from 82 countries in its fourth year, and has been called “the songwriting competition to take note of” by the New York Times. ISC prizes include more than $150,000 (USD) in cash and merchandise shared by 50 winners in 16 categories. “Monk,” by Abram Wilson, has been awarded First Place in the Jazz category. Wilson is known not only as an accomplished trumpeter and vocalist, but also as a composer, arranger, producer, and educator. The winning song is taken from Abram's debut album, Jazz Warrior, which was released by leading UK independent label Dune Records and earned him critical and public acclaim as well as nominations for a MOBO Award and a BBC Jazz Award. The Guardian praised the album, calling it “a truly astonishing debut.” Abram was recently commissioned by Birmingham Jazz and Cheltenham International Jazz Festival to create a piece combining Delta Blues, Jazz and Hip Hop. The new work, “RIDE! Ferris Wheel To The Modern Day Delta,” is to be premiered at the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival. Second Place honors have been awarded to Harvey S for his song “S,” and Third Place honors have been awarded to Kerry Politzer for her song “Rhodes Rage”. In addition to these winners, 10 other Jazz songs garnered placement in the top 1.4% of the competition. A complete list of Jazz winners is as follows: First Place ”Monk” -- Abram Wilson Harrow - Middlesex, England Second Place ”S” -- Harvie S - Hastings-On-Hudson, NY, USA Third Place ”Rhodes Rage” -- Kerry Politzer - Forest Hills, NY, USA Honorable Mention ”Aubade” -- Tom Taylor - Colorado Springs, CO, USA ”Caribbean Mood” -- Aron Romhanyi - Szkesfehrvr, Hungary ”Der Kleine Wassermann” -- Andreas Wahl - Essen, Germany ”I Just Want To Know” -- Cynthia Scott - New York, NY, USA ”In The Middle Of The Night” -- Lenny Marcus - Roanoke, VA, USA ”King Of Midnight” -- Joy Eden Harrison - Chicago, IL, USA ”Melody For Le Quecumbar” -- Lollo Meier - Born, Netherlands ”Raga Bop” -- Prasanna - Boston, MA, USA ”Snake Charmer” -- Rez Abbasi - New York, NY, USA ”So It Goes” -- Matt Shulman - Riverdale, NY, USA www.songwritingcompetition.com REVIEUS AND PRESS. “It felt like the legendary Django Reinhardt was performing again” Zutphen Paper 2001. “We lit a candle and were given grace, so much beauty, so much harmony and so much variation and so much of Lollo”.. Pedro Ramacher, after the CD- presentation, southern Holland newspaper “Gipsy blood is running through the veins of this top gypsy guitar musician and band leader Lollo Meier”. Dagblad de Limburger, Dr Jazz, Harry Sillen. Quant à Lollo c’est un styliste dans la lignée de Fapy Lafertin dont le phrasé virtuose à la belle articulation (...) est toujours au service de la musique et de la sensibilité ; il joue autant avec le cœur qu’avec les doigts et surtout laisse la musique respirer ! Francis Couvreux (Etudes Tziganes) “Learning to play the guitar with Lollo means that you can throw away any books you bought on this subject. His technique is amazing. When he plays rhythm it sounds like 12 strings instead of 6. You hear a train leaving the station, a power that I have never heard before. Oh my God how does he do that? I fooled myself for a while thinking it must be his self-made plectrum so I tried all the plectrums I could lay my hands on but than I realised the painful truth, it's the motion, the motor, it's the right hand it's like walking through a forest and when you come home you realize that you can't remember seeing a single tree. Learning the chords is one thing but starting up the diesel-train is a different ballgame. Better watch his right hand rather than his left hand it holds the key! Lollo gave me his secret, he gave me Django”. A quote by one of his pupils Paul Prévoo