Finch Platte
06-30-2011, 08:52 AM
Yeah, I know, he's still around (but I notice he's been replaced by Frank Gambale in Return To Forever's latest tour).
Anyhoo, Al had a trio of awesome solo discs released way back when: The debut, Land Of The Midnight Sun, released in 1976, Elegant Gypsy in 1977, and Casino, 1978. "Blazing jazz fusion," as AllMusic puts it.
I was really into him those first 3 discs, then he just kinda fell off the earth for me. I had a friend named Robert who could play selections off these records, note for note, as fast & clean as Al could play. It was a trip sitting down in front of the stereo with Robert & watching him play along with the records- it was like having a short, ugly version of DiMeola 3 feet away! :arf:
Robert's no longer with us, but I've put together a selection of my favorite (read: uptempo) songs from the discs, and finished it off with a live track from Tour De Force: Live (1982).
Hope you enjoy it, you can find it here. (http://ge.tt/9vnf9a5?c)
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf300/f307/f30794swzqs.jpg
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf300/f373/f37322t69vp.jpg
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd300/d365/d36582xx2fc.jpg
Guitarist Al di Meola first rose to prominence as a blazing jazz fusion player before his playing matured and he began to conquer other styles, such as acoustic Latin music. Born on July 22, 1954, in Jersey City, NJ, di Meola briefly studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston during the early '70s before accepting a job replacing guitarist Bill Connors in fusion trailblazers Return to Forever (a group that included such monster instrumentalists as keyboardist Chick Corea and bassist Stanley Clarke) in 1974. It was with di Meola that Return to Forever enjoyed their greatest commercial success, as such releases as 1974's Where Have I Known Before, 1975's No Mystery, and 1976's Romantic Warrior cracked the U.S. Top 40 before di Meola jumped ship to launch a solo career.
What followed remains some of the finest jazz fusion guitar-based recordings ever: 1976's Land of the Midnight Sun, 1977's Elegant Gypsy (which would eventually earn gold certification in the U.S.), and Casino, plus 1979's Splendido Hotel. Di Meola then united with fellow guitar greats John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía for 1980's Friday Night in San Francisco. Throughout the '80s and '90s, di Meola racked up numerous accolades (including earning yearly top honors in Guitar Player magazine polls), kept on issuing solo releases on a regular basis, and played with others, including releases by Stomu Yamash'ta, Paul Simon, Stanley Jordan, and David Matthews, as well as further work with such former bandmates as Corea, Clarke, de Lucía, and McLaughlin.
During the '90s, di Meola turned his back almost entirely on fusion to concentrate more on acoustic-based world music, as evidenced by such releases as World Sinfonia, Di Meola Plays Piazzolla, and Heart of the Immigrants, among others. Since that time, di Meola has continued this eclectic approach with releases like 2003's Revisited, 2006's Consequence of Chaos, 2007's Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar, Vol. 1: Music of Astor Piazzolla, and 2008's live album He and Carmen with flutist Eszter Horgas. In 2011, di Meola delivered the Latin and world music-infused studio album Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody, featuring bassist Charlie Haden and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
fp
Anyhoo, Al had a trio of awesome solo discs released way back when: The debut, Land Of The Midnight Sun, released in 1976, Elegant Gypsy in 1977, and Casino, 1978. "Blazing jazz fusion," as AllMusic puts it.
I was really into him those first 3 discs, then he just kinda fell off the earth for me. I had a friend named Robert who could play selections off these records, note for note, as fast & clean as Al could play. It was a trip sitting down in front of the stereo with Robert & watching him play along with the records- it was like having a short, ugly version of DiMeola 3 feet away! :arf:
Robert's no longer with us, but I've put together a selection of my favorite (read: uptempo) songs from the discs, and finished it off with a live track from Tour De Force: Live (1982).
Hope you enjoy it, you can find it here. (http://ge.tt/9vnf9a5?c)
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf300/f307/f30794swzqs.jpg
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf300/f373/f37322t69vp.jpg
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd300/d365/d36582xx2fc.jpg
Guitarist Al di Meola first rose to prominence as a blazing jazz fusion player before his playing matured and he began to conquer other styles, such as acoustic Latin music. Born on July 22, 1954, in Jersey City, NJ, di Meola briefly studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston during the early '70s before accepting a job replacing guitarist Bill Connors in fusion trailblazers Return to Forever (a group that included such monster instrumentalists as keyboardist Chick Corea and bassist Stanley Clarke) in 1974. It was with di Meola that Return to Forever enjoyed their greatest commercial success, as such releases as 1974's Where Have I Known Before, 1975's No Mystery, and 1976's Romantic Warrior cracked the U.S. Top 40 before di Meola jumped ship to launch a solo career.
What followed remains some of the finest jazz fusion guitar-based recordings ever: 1976's Land of the Midnight Sun, 1977's Elegant Gypsy (which would eventually earn gold certification in the U.S.), and Casino, plus 1979's Splendido Hotel. Di Meola then united with fellow guitar greats John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía for 1980's Friday Night in San Francisco. Throughout the '80s and '90s, di Meola racked up numerous accolades (including earning yearly top honors in Guitar Player magazine polls), kept on issuing solo releases on a regular basis, and played with others, including releases by Stomu Yamash'ta, Paul Simon, Stanley Jordan, and David Matthews, as well as further work with such former bandmates as Corea, Clarke, de Lucía, and McLaughlin.
During the '90s, di Meola turned his back almost entirely on fusion to concentrate more on acoustic-based world music, as evidenced by such releases as World Sinfonia, Di Meola Plays Piazzolla, and Heart of the Immigrants, among others. Since that time, di Meola has continued this eclectic approach with releases like 2003's Revisited, 2006's Consequence of Chaos, 2007's Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar, Vol. 1: Music of Astor Piazzolla, and 2008's live album He and Carmen with flutist Eszter Horgas. In 2011, di Meola delivered the Latin and world music-infused studio album Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody, featuring bassist Charlie Haden and Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
fp