WHAT bravura guitar playing. Twenty-four strings, four sound-holes, four necks - and a quartet of masterful players.

The sound these four players made in unison was quite something, but it was also quite a wait. In a slightly cumbersome format, the evening saw each guitarist play a short solo set, with the four getting it together at the end.

Folk veteran Martin Carthy, who had the difficult job of getting things going, played four songs, including The Cuckoo's Nest and the theme from The Third Man. Jazz guitarist Martin Taylor was next, with a version of Don't Know Why, a song written for Norah Jones, but happily unrecognisable here.

His set also included a wonderful one-man recreation of a West African band.

Juan Martin, the flamenco veteran, drew a furious flurry of notes from his guitar, playing with a fluid passion and, in a Moorish number, conjured up a sound unlike that associated with the guitar.

After a break, Martin Stephenson unleashed beautiful slide, blues and folk, including an old Lead Belly number and, if I heard right, a Canadian song called Caledonia.

Then the fretted foursome finally played together, mixing flamenco and folk tunes in flourishing style, with Martin Taylor doing a tremendous job of improvising along to Juan Martin, seemingly following his every tricky note.

Perhaps Martins 4 should try playing some concerts all together from the off - because that is surely what most of last night's packed audience wanted to hear.

Updated: 10:54 Wednesday, March 09, 2005