RECENT PRESS
Pashyanti On Guitar REVIEWS
"I cannot think of a guitarist of our time who has done more to push the guitar [and the music for the guitar] beyond the limits for which the instrument has been designed to a greater degree than Simon Thacker...unique genius"
"impossible delicacy and dexterity"
"a very special aural and visual experience"
"astonishing musicianship"
"***** mesmerised the audience"
"a long-time favourite"
"enchanting power"
"superb, atmospheric and evocative"
We Shall Overcome PRESS
Bongodorshon (India, in Bengali)
East Lothian Courier (Scotland)
India 2019 solo tour PRESS
Caleidoscope Magazine (India) major feature
Urban Asian (USA) major feature
Tàradh by Simon Thacker's Ritmata PRESS
"Simon Thacker is a musical alchemist"
World Music Report (Canda)
The Scotsman full page feature
Scotland.org special feature
"The Scottish guitarist and composer is the owner of a visionary kind of lucidity"
Touching Extremes (Italy)
"Haunting, exquisite and the epitome of research into a new sphere of influence"
Liverpool Sound and Vision
"Simon Thacker seems to be able to create “timeless” music."
Southside Advertiser
"The audacious 10-minute suite that closes the album, finds Thacker following his muse to its last"
The Arts Desk
The Scotsman featured artist of the week
"Intricacy, immediacy and sheer musicality"
Jazz Views
"An eclectic, compelling album"
London Jazz News
"Musical transcendence in action."
Fabrications HQ (scroll down)
Modern Jazz Today full page feature
"Exists somewhere between a master class and masterful originality, and reinvention of traditions"
Elsewhere (New Zealand)
"The impressive 'Quadriga In 5' has already been nominated for The Ivors Composer Award."
Simon Thacker's Svara-Kanti: Trikala REVIEWS
"One wonders whether in a past life Simon Thacker was a Bengali itinerant Baul mystic musician or perhaps a South Indian master of mridangam. Such is his grasp of the techniques and spirit of India’s disparate musical styles...a major statement in the co-evolution of Indian and Western music."
Songlines Magazine (UK)
"A clear spiritual kinship with the great post-Coltrane quest for transcendence...Thacker’s brilliant ensemble have found their metier."
"Stellar classical guitar picking and percussion work with delightfully cascading rhythms"
"...you don't just listen once or twice, pick a highlight and slap a genre-style label on it, especially not one of this magnitude..."
"What is crucial to Trikala's success is that Thacker has stretched himself... The second CD is deeply rooted in the Baul soil and Baul philosophy...Helay Helay Din Boye Jay is remarkable...He's flying"
"Thacker's acute ear lends his transcriptions and recreations real authenticity. Original pieces like “The Fire of Intention” are superb...A real achievement, and one of those rare double albums without a dud track."
The Arts Desk (UK)
"Thacker reveals the full extent of both his compositional abilities and his virtuosity."
World Music Report (Canada)
"a remarkable study into an array of musical traditions and the fruits their cross-pollination can yield"
The List (UK)
"an all-inclusive recipe of brilliant interplay"
Touching Extremes (Italy)
"a matter of smooth symbiotic genius"
Liverpool Sound and Vision
"isn't diluted to get a desired but superficial effect, instead it distills down to deeper essences and ancient traditions."
Elsewhere (New Zealand)
"With Trikala, Simon Thacker has transcended Western concepts of melody and rhythm and the influences of the music of the Indian subcontinent...to produce music that travels across continents, cultural and musical differences"
"as you listen more, you begin to realise what a multi-crossing of cultural paths this work truly is."
Southside Advertiser (UK)
"traditional music is refracted through the present to create something new... very much a disc for those with questing minds"
Planet Hugill (UK)
"ambitious and assured...the 2 hours 18 minutes duration reflects Thacker's immersion in Indian classical, folk and spiritual traditions."
Rhythms Magazine (Australia)
"Simon Thacker brings together a broad spectrum of musicians from Indian, Bangladeshi and Western backgrounds that's kaleidoscopic...reveals the depth of the guitarist's explorations of these diverse cultures."
Jazzwise (UK)
"Scottish guitarist Simon Thacker has been a favorite of mine since I first heard his unique fusion of classical guitar and Indian music elements about four years ago. His most recent recording is the stunning and original double-CD Trikala"
Classical Guitar Magazine (USA)
Simon Thacker's Svara-Kanti: Trikala FEATURES:
Bongodorshon (India, in Bengali)
The Hindu (India)
Urban Asian (USA)
Urban Asian 2 (USA)
Urban Asian 3 (USA)
Desiblitz (UK)
Music News Scotland (UK)
Bongodorshon (India, in Bengali)
Daily Star (Bangladesh, in English)
Sangbad Pratidin (India, in Bengali)
bdnews24 (Bangladesh, in Bengali)
Ei Samay (India, in Bengali)
Prothom Alo (Bangladesh, in Bengali)
Eastern Eye (focus on Sunayana Ghosh)
Born of Web (India)
Raga to Rock (|ndia)
Caleidoscope (India)
Radio and Music (India)
Radio and Music 2 (India)