When you are confronted by prolific genius, the only sensible thing to do as a website publisher is to give in to overwhelming instinct, and dedicate an annual homage to it. Thus is born The “Nick Fletcher Award for Excellence” on Lazland, which, given that Nick is on an album a year, would seem to be his, and his alone, in perpetuity.

The Mask of Sanity is inspired by the writings of Carl Jung, and is a supreme example of how to transform notes of music into a narrative, one where the meaning speaks to the listener without the need for mere words. This is not an easy trick to pull off, but Nick manages it with aplomb.

I was very fortunate to be able to hold an interview with Nick for my Progzilla Radio show this year, to discuss the album, his career, and favourite music. The link is at the foot of this page.

With Nick’s kind permission, below you will see a button to play the winner of this year’s award, A Curious Case of Synchronicity. From my review, “I just love hearing an acoustic guitar played well, and this is such a lovely piece of music, bucolic to start with before the violin re-enters the fray, and we turn into a jazz fusion delight, the fretwork staggeringly complex, the organ and drums providing the perfect backdrop. This is my favourite piece on a fine album”.

You can get this, and Nick’s other works, at https://www.nickfletcherguitarmusic.com/