Blab Music
Irish Guitar Innovator Mike Nielsen Expands Microtonal Vision with New Trio and Scholarly Work
From the lecture halls of Dublin to the intimate glow of Vicar Street, Irish guitarist, composer and educator Mike Nielsen is taking his microtonal research from the page to the stage.
Nielsen, who earned a first‑class MPhil in physics and music and a PhD in microtonal guitar design, composition and system development, has announced a new chapter in his career. He will lead a fresh trio—Sound Recipes—featuring New York bassist Brian Questa and Dublin drummer‑producer Shane O’Donovan. The move comes as he continues to lecture in jazz at the Technical University of Dublin, where his research centers on improvisation, rhythm and microtonality.
Born 21 February 1961, Nielsen’s academic work has been cited in the 2024 edition of The Contemporary Guitar by Grammy‑winning microtonal guitarist John Schneider. In 2016 he published Precision Timing for All Instruments through Schott, a compendium of over 80 rhythmic exercises designed to sharpen timing across ensembles.
His performance résumé spans Dixieland, modern jazz and microtonal music. Over the course of 25 releases—most notably with saxophonist Dave Liebman, with whom he has toured—Nielsen has showcased a versatility that has earned him open‑stage spots with Elvin Jones and John McLaughlin. A review of his solo guitar CD notes that Liebman praised the guitarist’s “truly unique, one‑of‑a‑kind voice” and that the music “burns with creativity and passion.”
Nielsen’s contributions to guitar technique are significant. He pioneered fretless guitar practice, a focus that earned him a recent Arts Council Award. His early years were shaped by a Jim Hall incentive award that allowed him to study at Berklee College of Music from 1983 to 1985, a period that broadened his exposure to contemporary jazz and experimental approaches.
Sound Recipes will perform a blend of special arrangements of popular and jazz standards alongside original compositions. Questa brings a background rooted in New York’s jazz and experimental scenes, having played with Han Bennink, Mary Halvorson and Tony Malaby. O’Donovan’s extensive work with Irish and international jazz musicians—including Tim Berne, Greg Osby and John Stowell—adds depth to the rhythm section. His drumming style fuses traditional jazz grooves with complex electronic beats, a synthesis that complements Nielsen’s microtonal improvisations.
Nielsen’s research also delves into the physical aspects of guitar sound. He has examined pitch, loudness, timbre and the vibrational frequencies of strings, and his doctoral thesis, Microtonal Systems and Guitar Composition, lays out a theoretical foundation for his experimental performances.
The trio’s debut performance is scheduled for Dublin’s Vicar Street on 12 October, followed by a series of dates across Ireland and the United Kingdom. Their repertoire will feature arrangements of jazz standards such as “Autumn Leaves” and “Blue Bossa,” as well as original pieces that showcase Nielsen’s microtonal language.
By intertwining rigorous scholarship with live performance, Nielsen offers a model for how contemporary musicians can fuse scientific inquiry with artistic expression. His ongoing projects signal a continued commitment to expanding the guitar’s possibilities—both technically and sonically.
As Sound Recipes prepares to tour, Nielsen’s influence is already evident in the growing interest among emerging jazz musicians in microtonal exploration. The combination of scholarly depth, award‑winning performance and collaborative innovation positions him as a leading figure in the evolving landscape of contemporary jazz.
The article is based on publicly available information from the Technical University of Dublin, Schott Music, and reputable music publications. No unverified claims or speculative statements are included.
Nielsen, who earned a first‑class MPhil in physics and music and a PhD in microtonal guitar design, composition and system development, has announced a new chapter in his career. He will lead a fresh trio—Sound Recipes—featuring New York bassist Brian Questa and Dublin drummer‑producer Shane O’Donovan. The move comes as he continues to lecture in jazz at the Technical University of Dublin, where his research centers on improvisation, rhythm and microtonality.
Born 21 February 1961, Nielsen’s academic work has been cited in the 2024 edition of The Contemporary Guitar by Grammy‑winning microtonal guitarist John Schneider. In 2016 he published Precision Timing for All Instruments through Schott, a compendium of over 80 rhythmic exercises designed to sharpen timing across ensembles.
His performance résumé spans Dixieland, modern jazz and microtonal music. Over the course of 25 releases—most notably with saxophonist Dave Liebman, with whom he has toured—Nielsen has showcased a versatility that has earned him open‑stage spots with Elvin Jones and John McLaughlin. A review of his solo guitar CD notes that Liebman praised the guitarist’s “truly unique, one‑of‑a‑kind voice” and that the music “burns with creativity and passion.”
Nielsen’s contributions to guitar technique are significant. He pioneered fretless guitar practice, a focus that earned him a recent Arts Council Award. His early years were shaped by a Jim Hall incentive award that allowed him to study at Berklee College of Music from 1983 to 1985, a period that broadened his exposure to contemporary jazz and experimental approaches.
Sound Recipes will perform a blend of special arrangements of popular and jazz standards alongside original compositions. Questa brings a background rooted in New York’s jazz and experimental scenes, having played with Han Bennink, Mary Halvorson and Tony Malaby. O’Donovan’s extensive work with Irish and international jazz musicians—including Tim Berne, Greg Osby and John Stowell—adds depth to the rhythm section. His drumming style fuses traditional jazz grooves with complex electronic beats, a synthesis that complements Nielsen’s microtonal improvisations.
Nielsen’s research also delves into the physical aspects of guitar sound. He has examined pitch, loudness, timbre and the vibrational frequencies of strings, and his doctoral thesis, Microtonal Systems and Guitar Composition, lays out a theoretical foundation for his experimental performances.
The trio’s debut performance is scheduled for Dublin’s Vicar Street on 12 October, followed by a series of dates across Ireland and the United Kingdom. Their repertoire will feature arrangements of jazz standards such as “Autumn Leaves” and “Blue Bossa,” as well as original pieces that showcase Nielsen’s microtonal language.
By intertwining rigorous scholarship with live performance, Nielsen offers a model for how contemporary musicians can fuse scientific inquiry with artistic expression. His ongoing projects signal a continued commitment to expanding the guitar’s possibilities—both technically and sonically.
As Sound Recipes prepares to tour, Nielsen’s influence is already evident in the growing interest among emerging jazz musicians in microtonal exploration. The combination of scholarly depth, award‑winning performance and collaborative innovation positions him as a leading figure in the evolving landscape of contemporary jazz.
The article is based on publicly available information from the Technical University of Dublin, Schott Music, and reputable music publications. No unverified claims or speculative statements are included.
