04/02/2011 Ray Comiskey, Irish Times

Guitarist Mike Nielsen’s fine quartet marries jazz with Indian, Caribbean, Jewish and African idioms to create a fascinating hybrid. That it succeeds is a tribute both to the unity of Nielsen’s vision (the distinctive originals are his) and to his cohorts: Ellen Demos (voice), Brendan Doyle (clarinets), and Shane O’Donovan (percussion). They bring much to the table, including flexibility and spontaneity combined with rigorously inventive interplay and a lyrical blend of voice and clarinet, amid a deft mix of written ensembles, group improvisations and solos. And Nielsen’s lyrics, an oddly compelling amalgam of the direct and elliptical, for Temple Bar Monk, Innocence and WB will Haunt Us, are as personal as his music. Standouts on a lovely CD include Innocence (a duet for voice and guitar), Introspection (with and extra overdubbed clarinet part), Expectations and a buoyant Kopanypso.