AL DI MEOLA

                                                                AL DI MEOLA

Jazz Rock/Fusion

USA

Intense, that's the best word to describe the character of the music that took hold at the outset of the 70's. Powered by stacks of amplifiers, propelled by rock backbeats, fueled with unbridled passion, and full of the spirit of jazz improvisation, this so-called fusion music coalesced into a full blown movement with the arrival of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Larry Coryell's Eleventh House, and Chick Corea's Return to Forever. We can feel the intensity in Di Meola's playing in his debut with Return o Forever, 1974's «Where Have I Known You Before», or their 1975 follow-up, the Grammy-winning «No Mystery». That power-house formula of dizzying speed, demanding unison lines, and rock intensity continues on the group's 1976 Columbia debut, «Romantic Warrior» and carries over to Di Meola's debut as a leader, «Land of the Midnight Sun», released the same year on Columbia. His signature sound, the ringing sustain of a Les Paul played through a Marshall stack is an integral part of al those projects. Guitar Player magazine named Di Meola «best new talent» for 1975 on the strength of his playing on «No Mystery». It awarded him «Best Jazz guitarist» for 1977 and also named his «Elegant Gypsy» «Best Guitar Lp» for that year. Al went on to dominate the Best Jazz Guitarist» category, winning five consecutive years through 1981, while also earning «Best Guitar Lp» awards in 1978 for «Casino» and in 1980 for «Splendido Hotel». With those impressive credits, Al was instantly inducted into Guitar Player's Gallery of the Greats, becoming the youngest player in the magazine's history ever accorded that honor.

At the outset of the 80's, Di Meola put his Les Paul on the shelf and turned to the acoustic guitar, touring and recorded with a superstar trio including McLaughlin and Spain's flamenco master, Paco de Lucia. He returned to his old electrified ways briefly with 1982's «Electric Rendez-vous» and its follow-up, «Tour De Force Live». In 1983, the same year he recorded the bravado studio album «Passion, Grace & Fire» with the acoustic trio, De Meola had a brief reunion tour with his old RTF mates, Corea, drummer Lenny White, and bassist Stanley Clarke. Though the tour proved that the intensity was still very much alive, no record was released of this powerhouse fusion unit, together again for the first time since the 1976 breakup.

ALBUMS:

1976 - LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN

Musicians

- Al DiMeola / electric guitar
- Alphonse Mouzon / drums
- Jaco Pastorius / bass guitar
- Mingo Lewis / percussion
- Barry Miles / electric piano and Mini Moog

Tracks Listing

1. The Wizard (6:46)
2. Land of the Midnight Sun (9:10)
3. Sarabande from Violin Sonata in B Minor (1:20)
4. Love Theme from "Pictures of the Sea" (2:25)
5. Suite - Golden Dawn: Morning Fire/Calmer of (9:49)
6. Short Tales of the Black Forest (5:41)

Total Time: 35:11




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1978 - CASINO


Musicians

- Al DiMeola / guitars
- Anthony Jackson / bass
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Eddie Colon / percussion, timbales, Roto Toms
- Barry Miles / organ, synthesizer, piano
- Mingo Lewis / percussion, bongos, conga, keyboards

Tracks Listing

1. Egyptian Danza (5:57)
2. Chasin' the Voodoo (5:05)
3. Dark Eye Tango (5:25)
4. Señor Mouse (7:21)
5. Fantasia Suite for Two Guitars: Viva la... (5:12)
6. Casino (9:29)

Total Time: 38:29



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1980 - SPLENDIDO HOTEL

Musicians

- Al Di Meola / electric and acoustic guitars, mandocello, celeste (3), vocals and drums (8)
- David Campbell / violin (10)
- Peter Cannarozzi / Oberheim (2 & 3)
- Eddie Colon / percussion (1, 2, 3 & 5)
- Columbus Boy's Choir / vocals (10)
- Chick Corea / piano solo (2), piano (2 & 4)
- Steve Gadd / drums (3 & 9)
- Robbie Gonzalez / drums (1, 2, 5 & 6)
- Jan Hammer / Moog synth solo (5)
- Anthony Jackson / bass (2, 3, 5 & 9)
- Dennis Karmzyn / cello (10)
- Raymond Kelly / cello (10)
- Tim Landers / bass (1, 5 & 6)
- Mingo Lewis / syndrum percussion (3), syndrumbomb (5)
- Les Paul / guitar (9) (left channel)
- Phillippe Saisse / keyboards and marimba (1, 2, 3, 5 & 6), keyboards Moogbass and backing vocals (8)
- Carol Shive / viola (10)

Tracks Listing:

1. Alien Chase On Arabian Desert (8:59)
2. Silent Story In Her Eyes (7:35)
3. Roller Jubilee (4:44)
4. Two To Tango (4:13)
5. Al Di`s Dream Theme (6:50)
6. Dinner Music Of The Gods (8:33)
7. Splendido Sundance (4:51)
8. I Can Tell (4:01)
9. Spanish Eyes (5:11)
10. Isfahan (11:35)
11. Bianca`s Midnight Lullaby (1:54)

Total Time: 68:26



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1982 - ELECTRIC RENDEZVOUS



Musicians

- Al DiMeola / electric guitar
- Paco de Lucía / acoustic guitar
- Anthony Jackson / guitar
- Steve Gadd / drums
- Jan Hammer / keyboards
- Mingo Lewis / percussion, keyboards
- Philippe Saisse / keyboards

Tracks Listing

1. God-Bird-Change (3:51)
2. Electric Rendezvous (7:47)
3. Passion, Grace and Fire (5:34)
4. Cruisin' (4:16)
5. Black Cat Shuffle (3:00)
6. Ritmo de la Noche (4:17)
7. Somalia (1:40)
8. Jewel Inside a Dream (4:02)

Total Time: 34:27



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1983 - SCENARIO


Musicians

- Al DiMeola / synthesizer, guitars, flute, drums, saxophone, Tom-Tom, multi instruments, mandocello, Roland synthesizer
- Bill Bruford / drums, electric drums
- Phil Collins / drums
- Jan Hammer / organ, synthesizer, bass, piano, drums, keyboards, Fairlight, Linn drum, Moog bass, Fairlight CMI, Roland synthesizer

Tracks Listing

1. Mata Hari (6:07)
2. African Night (4:52)
3. Island Dreamer (4:07)
4. Scenario (4:00)
5. Sequencer (4:08)
6. Cachaca (5:36)
7. Hypnotic Conviction (3:52)
8. Calliope (4:20)
9. Scoundrel (3:46)

Total Time: 40:48




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1987 - TIRAMI SU


Musicians

- Al DiMeola / guitar
- Roberto Pinheiro / percussion
- DaSilva Pinto / percussion
- José Renato / vocals
- Mino Cinclu / percussion
- Carlos Pinto Dasilva / percussion
- Elizeu Felix / percussion
- Kei Akagi / keyboards
- Danny Gottlieb / drums
- Tom Brechtlein / drums
- Mino Cinelu / percussion
- Anthony Jackson / guitar (bass)
- Chip Jackson / bass
- Phil Markowitz / keyboards
- Harvie Swartz / bass

Tracks Listing:

1. Beijing Demons (6:25)
2. Arabella (7:14)
3. Smile from a Stranger (5:43)
4. Rhapsody of Fire (5:05)
5. Song to the Pharoah Kings (8:50)
6. Andonea (3:09)
7. Maraba (5:24)
8. Song With a View (6:26)
9. Tirami Su, Pt. 1 (1:18)
10. July [*] (5:21)
11. Soaring Through a Dream [*] (12:24)

Total Time: 48:45


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1988 - KISS MY AXE

Musicians

- Al DiMeola / guitar (acoustic), cymbals, andclapping, tabla, guitar (electric), guitar
- Richie Morales / drums
- Gumbi Ortiz / conga
- Tony Scherr / bass, bass (acoustic), bass (electric)
- Arto Tuncboyaciyan / percussion, bata, voices, bongos
- Gumbi Oritz / conga, bata, handclapping
- Rachel Z / synthesizer
- Anthony Jackson / bass (electric), clarinet (contrabass)
- Omar Hakim / drums
- Barry Miles / synthesizer, synclavier, handclapping, piano

Tracks Listing

1. South Bound Traveler (5:22)
2. The Embrace (5:49)
3. Kiss My Axe (5:04)
4. Morocco (7:41)
5. Gigi's Playtime Rhyme (Interlude #1) (2:36)
6. One Night Last June (8:19)
7. Phantom (7:53)
8. Erotic Interlude (Interlude #2) (2:32)
9. Global Safari (5:42)
10. Interlude #3 (1:59)
11. Purple Orchids (6:45)
12. The Prophet (Interlude #4) (1:18)
13. Oriana (September 24, 1988) (5:19)

Total Time: 65:01



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1990 - WORLD SINFONIA


Musicians

Al Di Meola - guitars, percussion
Chris Carrington - guitars
Arto Tuncboyaciyan - percussion, vocals
Gumbi Oritz - percussion, conga
Dino Saluzzi - bandoneon

Tracks Listing

1."Perpetual Emotion " (Al Di Meola) (3:30)
2."Orient Blue" (Di Meola) (2:57)
3."Tango Suite Part 1" (Astor Piazzolla) ( 8:49)
4."Tango Suite Part 3" (Piazzolla) (8:50)
5."Falling Grace" (Steve Swallow) (4:21)
6."Last Tango for Astor" (Di Meola) (6:20)
7."No Mystery" (Chick Corea) (12:37)
8."Lustrine" (Dino Saluzzi) (9:12)
9."Little Cathedral" (Di Meola, Augustin Barrios) (1:45)
10."La Cathedral" (Barrios) (4:37)

Total Time: 62:58



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1993 - HEART OF THE IMMIGRANTS




Musicians

- Al DiMeola / synthesizer, charango, synclavier, multi instruments, voices, guitar
- Hernan Romero / vocals, voices
- David Speltz / cello
- Nancy Stein / cello
- Arto Tuncboyaciyan / percussion, voices,
- Conde Hermano / guitar, charango
- Chris Carrington / guitar, contreras
- Gloria Lum / cello
- Timothy Barr / bass
- Jodi Burnett / cello
- Arni Egilsson / bass
- Barry Gold / cello
- Ron Leonard / cello
- Dino Saluzzi / bandoneon

Tracks Listing

1. Night Club 1960 (5:46)
2. Vistaero (4:36)
3. Carousel Requiem (6:18)
4. Tango II (5:35)
5. Under a Dark Moon (5:12)
6. Bordel 1900 (4:33)
7. Indigo (7:05)
8. Heru Mertar/Don't Go So Far Away (4:39)
9. Parranda (4:26)
10. Somebody My Prince Will Come (5:12)
11. Café 1930 (6:16)
12. They Love Me from Fifteen Feet Away (1:24)
13. Milonga del Angel (3:46)

Total Time: 64:48



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1994 - ORANGE AND BLUE




Musicians

- Al DiMeola / synthesizer, guitars, percussion, piano, shakuhachi, composer, cymbals, drums, koto, producer, finger snaps, cover design, crowd noise, kotolin
- Simon Shaheen / violin
- Peter Erskine / drums
- Marc Johnson / bass
- George Dalaras / vocals
- Andres Boiarsky / saxophone
- Conrad Herwig / trombone
- Steve Gadd & Manu Katche / drums
- Noa / vocals
- Gumbi Ortiz / percussion, bongos, conga
- Pino Palladino / bass, Fretless bass
- Mario Parmisano / organ, synthesizer, bass, piano, strings, keyboards, associate producer
- Mike Pinera / trumpet
- Hernan Romero / synthesizer, guitar, piano, vocals, multi instruments, bells

Tracks Listing

1. Paradisio (7:18)
2. Chilean Pipe Peace (4:51)
3. Ta'alina Chant (1:55)
4. Orange and Blue (7:31)
5. This Way Before (4:38)
6. Summer Country Song (5:29)
7. If We Meet Again, Pt. 1 (1:29)
8. If We Meet Again, Pt. 2 (5:03)
9. Cyprus `74 (3:50)
10. Theme of the Mother Ship (5:24)
11. Precious Little You (4:24)
12. Casmir (4:07)
13. On My Own (3:21)

Total Time: 59:25



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