JAMAYKAH HEARTBEAT

It was my wife-2-B who introduced me to Acoustic Alchemy - literally.

We was still courting and I fancied her like mad and she knew I, like, totally owned the guitar.

Alors, choque horreur when she had the effrontery to hand me tickets to a select jam above a pub.

In a pub? Cheeky! Is this really the right woman for me?

Went along, usual pseudy bunch swilling around. Didn't look like the band had turned up and then up comes this very nice bloke, Nick, who pecks her on the cheek and shakes my hand and then we all take our seats and, damn me, if Nick doesn't unsheath a steel-string and get stuck in.

This was their early days and I liked their sound.

We kept missing their concerts - same as we kept missing Paco de Lucia - and then one day Steph showed me a piece in the music press that Nick had died of pancreatic cancer.

Blow me down if one day in Seattle, there's t'band appearing at the local jazz club - same name.

We went along and booked a front table with top wine and on came the band and - as I stage-whispered to Steph - "This is NOT the band I know and love."

I don't know why they do this. The original sound is what it is.

Listen to Nick's crystal-clear picking and spot-on timing.