Pete Oxley is a modest sort of guy. An eloquent talker, effortlessly cool and fairly obviously interested in music.

But you wouldn’t necessarily know he is also one of the country’s finest guitarists – until you actually hear him pick up his instrument and play.

Pete, who lives in Oxford, plays so fluidly he and his guitar become one. The word virtuoso is banded about too liberally these days, but with Pete it is deserved – as anyone who has seen him perform will vouch.

A mainstay of The Spin jazz club at The Wheatsheaf, Pete has also delighted audiences with his two-man show alongside friend and fellow demon guitarist Nicolas Meier. And on Saturday they bring their scintillating live show to St Giles Church, at the junction of Woodstock and Banbury roads, in Oxford city centre, for the latest in the excellent season of Jazz at St Giles.

One of the city’s most underrated musical geniuses, Pete is not a man to loudly blow his own trumpet – preferring to gently keep his head down and quietly finger his fretboard.

A formidable act alone, his work with Meier is extraordinary – the pair appearing to share a telepathic link as they duet on pieces rooted not only in the jazz tradition but in the exuberant sounds of the Near East and Latin America.

“There’s something we have,” says Pete. “When you find the right person, that’s when the magic happens.”

While Pete and Nic are renowned jazz artists, they are keen to describe their shows more as a celebration of the guitar – and one which those who would not normally dream of going to a jazz night would also enjoy.

“It’s different,” says Pete, who will be joined on the night by Raph Mizraki on bass and Paul Cavaciuti on drums. “It’s more world music than jazz – but, more than anything, it’s a guitar night. We have a mix of influences and will be performing music from South America to Turkey.”

Both men have extraordinary musical CVs.

Pete began playing in Paris in the mid-80s, before returning to the UK and settling in Oxford. “We put a pin in the map, and Oxford came up,” he says. “I have always liked the vibe here, even though I didn’t know a single person when I arrived. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else now.”

He opened The Spin in 1999 with Mizraki and fellow jazz musician Mark Doffman. A few years back it won a Parliamentary Jazz Award as The Best Jazz Venue in the UK.

The club is going strong, attracting top flight musicians including, on a couple of occasions, the superstar classical violinist Nigel Kennedy – who confessed he was a fan of the club.

As well as running the club, Pete regularly performs, providing guitar support to the likes of Chris Garrick, Gilad Atzmon, Tim Whitehead, Dave O’Higgins, Bobby Wellins, John Etheridge and his own band Curious Paradise. He has also released 14 albums of his own compositions and plays a monthly show in the intimate setting of the Butcher’s Arms in Headington.

Nic also began playing on mainland Europe, in his native Switzerland. An aficionado of Near Eastern music, he blends jazz and Turkish styles to mesmerising effect. He has toured with his own Meier Group and played beside such big names as Bill Evans and Brad Mehldau.

Perhaps more surprising, he has also played in guitar legend Jeff Beck’s band and has his own heavy metal group, Seven7. “When we are not playing, he loves getting dressed up in black leather and shredding!” laughs Pete. “And playing in Jeff Beck’s band is really something. He’s one of the best rock guitarists of all time, and of the big three of his era – him, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page – he’s the one who has continued to be great, rather than trading on past glories. He still sounds incredible.”

The pair met after Nic sent a demo recording to the Spin, 10 years ago. “It was incredible,” says Pete. “I asked him instantly when he could come, and booked him straight away.”

Pete was so impressed he signed him up to his jazz quartet Eclectica! when the group’s original guitarist moved back to Argentina.

“Nic was perfect,” says Pete. “And I called him up at exactly the right moment, as he was looking for another project.”

They jammed together and clicked. “We locked in straight away,” he says. “It was the most enjoyable session of playing I’d ever had.”

After performing a gig as a duo, the pair set out to record a live album, and travelled to the South West.

“We went on the road,” says Pete. “We travelled to Devon and Cornwall, recorded three concerts and picked the best pieces.”

The result, Travels To The West, was released in 2012. They followed that up with their masterpiece Chasing Tales and are now promoting new double-album The Colours Of Time – on which Pete and Nic shared writing duties and switch between guitars, layering sound to symphonic effect.

On stage and in the studio it certainly sounds like more than just two people.

“We are both from a jazz background,” Pete remarks. “And that comes through in our music, with lots of improvisation and spontaneity in what we do, but there’s also a lot of thought in how it sounds, which is why we take a lot of guitars. It makes for an exciting evening.” At last count, their guitar collection for one show, numbered 10 – including nylon seven string, steel string, electric, 12-string, slide, sitar-guitar guitar-synth, Glissentar guitars and a fretless 11-string model.

“We use a real combination of guitars, which keeps things fresh,” Pete says. “It’s really varied and is attracting people who like guitar music – even if they are not into jazz. It is just the two of us on stage with 10 guitars, but it’s certainly not ‘samey’. The technique for playing a 12-string is different to playing a jazz guitar or nine-string.”

The show is a rare chance to see the two artists at work in Oxford and follows tomorrow’s show at the EFG London Jazz Festival at the Cadogan Hall.

“Over the years we have played in all sorts of venues, with everything from dark jazz clubs to theatres and churches like this – which work superbly for guitar.”