Mediterranean Sundance

Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía, 1977, from Elegant Gypsy. Solo by Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía.

Mediterranean Sundance brings together Al Di Meola's precise, rapid alternate picking and Paco de Lucia's flamenco fire. The two acoustic guitars trade and combine lines over a Spanish-flavored rhythm, moving between strummed flamenco passages and blistering single-note runs. The contrast between Di Meola's clean, muted attack and Paco's fingerstyle picado gives the piece its energy. It became a signature piece for both players and inspired many guitarists to explore flamenco and fusion. The playing is fast, but also melodic and rhythmically tight. Listen for the rasgueado strums that punctuate the fast lines, and for the moments where the two guitars lock together in unison, sounding like a single, many-fingered instrument.

Mediterranean Sundance by Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía is ranked #227 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía and the song was released in 1977. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #27 (guitarguitar).

In our lists

• One and Only — #41
• The 25 Greatest Flamenco Guitar Recordings — #2
• The 25 Greatest Fusion Guitar Solos — #3
• The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals — #19
• The Best Paco de Lucía Guitar Solos — #2
• The Best Al Di Meola Guitar Solos — #2

Sources

• guitarguitar: Top 50 Guitar Solos of All Time — #27
• Guitarhabits: 50 of The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time