Al Di Meola
Jazz-rock's speed king who fell in love with Mediterranean rhythm
Al Di Meola grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and started on guitar as a child after being captivated by the Beatles and the Ventures. He studied with a local teacher who pushed him through jazz, country and classical material, and he developed a fascination with the precision of bluegrass and the fire of flamenco. After high school he enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he had barely begun his studies when an extraordinary opportunity arrived that would change his life at only nineteen years old.
In 1974 Chick Corea invited him to replace Bill Connors in Return to Forever, the electric fusion band that also featured Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. Di Meola's machine-gun articulation and rock volume became central to Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery and Romantic Warrior, the group's biggest-selling record. The band's success made him a guitar-magazine hero while still in his early twenties, and when Return to Forever changed direction in 1976 he launched a solo career that took off at once.
Land of the Midnight Sun, Elegant Gypsy and Casino were major sellers for instrumental records, mixing fusion speed with Spanish and Latin influences. Elegant Gypsy included Mediterranean Sundance, his first duet with flamenco master Paco de Lucía. In 1980 he, de Lucía and John McLaughlin recorded Friday Night in San Francisco, an acoustic guitar trio concert that became one of the best-selling live guitar albums of all time. The trio reunited on Passion, Grace and Fire and again in 1996 for The Guitar Trio.
From the mid-1980s he moved toward acoustic music, guitar synthesizers and world rhythms, with albums such as Scenario, Cielo e Terra and the World Sinfonia project, which explored the tango of Astor Piazzolla, whom he befriended. He recorded a tribute album of Piazzolla's music and later devoted two albums to the Beatles, All Your Life and Across the Universe. He returned to Return to Forever for reunion tours in 2008, and he continues to tour with acoustic and electric ensembles around the world.
The 10 greatest Al Di Meola solos
- 1Al Di Meola · solo by Al Di Meola · 1977
- 2Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucía · solo by Al Di Meola · 1981
- 3Return to Forever · solo by Al Di Meola · 1976
- 4Al Di Meola · solo by Al Di Meola · 1978
- 5Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucía · solo by Al Di Meola · 1981
- 6Al Di Meola · solo by Al Di Meola · 1976
- 7Al Di Meola · solo by Al Di Meola · 1977
- 8Return to Forever · solo by Al Di Meola · 1974
- 9Al Di Meola · solo by Al Di Meola · 1977
- 10Al Di Meola · solo by Al Di Meola · 1978
The sound
Di Meola is famous for ferociously fast alternate picking, with nearly every note struck separately and many passages palm-muted so they crack like snare drum hits. That muted, staccato attack, which he calls a percussive approach, became a signature of 1970s fusion. He also loves syncopated Latin and flamenco rhythms, odd accents and sudden unison runs with bass or keyboards. In his later acoustic work he balances the speed with lyrical melodies, rich chord voicings and long, carefully composed pieces influenced by tango and Middle Eastern music.
- Gibson Les Paul (guitar) His primary electric through the classic Return to Forever and Elegant Gypsy era.
- Ovation acoustic-electric (guitar) Heard on his acoustic work around the time of Friday Night in San Francisco.
- PRS Al Di Meola Prism (guitar) A signature Paul Reed Smith electric associated with his later career.
- Nylon-string classical guitar (guitar) Central to his Piazzolla-inspired and World Sinfonia recordings.
- Roland guitar synthesizer (effect) Used heavily in the 1980s on albums like Scenario and Cielo e Terra for keyboard-like textures.
Covers
- Short Tales of the Black Forest, originally by Chick Corea He and McLaughlin turned Corea's piece into a humorous, virtuosic live duel.
- Frevo Rasgado, originally by Egberto Gismonti A tightly arranged trio take on the Brazilian composer's rhythmic tune.
- Oblivion, originally by Astor Piazzolla A hushed, mournful acoustic reading of the tango master's famous melody.
- Eleanor Rigby, originally by The Beatles A solo acoustic arrangement that reimagines the song's string part on guitar.
- Because, originally by The Beatles He translates the song's layered harmonies into intricate acoustic voicings.
Timeline
- 1954 Born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- 1974 Leaves Berklee to join Chick Corea's Return to Forever
- 1976 Romantic Warrior released; solo debut Land of the Midnight Sun follows
- 1977 Elegant Gypsy features his first duet with Paco de Lucía
- 1980 Records Friday Night in San Francisco with McLaughlin and de Lucía
- 1983 Explores guitar synthesizer on Scenario
- 1991 Launches World Sinfonia
- 1996 Reunites the guitar trio; releases Di Meola Plays Piazzolla
- 2008 Rejoins Return to Forever for a reunion world tour
- 2013 Releases All Your Life, a Beatles tribute
Facts
- He was only nineteen when he joined Return to Forever.
- He left Berklee College of Music early to take the Return to Forever job.
- Friday Night in San Francisco is one of the best-selling live instrumental guitar albums ever.
- Mediterranean Sundance first appeared as a studio duet with Paco de Lucía before becoming a live showpiece.
- He was a close friend and admirer of tango composer Astor Piazzolla.
- He recorded two full albums of Beatles songs decades apart from his fusion heyday.
- His strong palm-muting technique helped define the sound of 1970s fusion guitar.
- He was a frequent winner of guitar-magazine reader polls in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- In the 1980s he became an early adopter of the guitar synthesizer.
- The acoustic trio with McLaughlin and de Lucía reunited more than fifteen years after its first recordings.