Al+di+meola

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music
Al DiMeola is what so many shred metal guitarists wish they could be. He can play a ridiculous number of notes per second yet he plays with a musicality seldom rivalled by the genre he helped to inspire.

Now that the whole Return to Forever reunion experience is in his rearview mirror (and unlikely to be repeated ever again), guitar star Al Di Meola is pursuing his own musical vision with newfound conviction via his World Sinfonia. Essentially an acoustic ensemble featuring Fausto Beccalossi on accordion and Di Meola’s longtime collaborator Gumbi Ortiz on cajon and assorted hand percussion, along with second guitarist Peo Alfonsi, bassist Victor Miranda and drummer Peter Kaszas, this edition of the World Sinfonia has developed a tightly knit chemistry through frequent touring. This limited-edition release, the first in a series of live recordings being sold initially at World Sinfonia gigs, documents their easy rapport in concerts held in Seattle, San Francisco and Istanbul.

Al di Meola's fifth of seven fusion albums as a leader for Columbia is a typically fiery effort, with di Meola joined by keyboardist Jan Hammer, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Gadd, percussionist Mingo Lewis, and guest spots for flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía ("Passion, Grace & Fire") and keyboardist Philippe Saisse. This lesser-known effort is easily recommended to fans of rock-ish jazz guitar.

This 1985 album from Al Di Meola followed on the heels of Pat Metheny's accomplished masterpiece, THE FIRST CIRCLE, and it bears a close resemblance. It's full of smooth, latin-flavored jazz complementing Di Meola's incomparable speed and technical excellence on guitar. "Capoeira" is worth the price of this CD alone – gorgeous and breezy Brazilian style with Portuguese vocals by percussionist Airto Moreira. It's what Jobim could have sounded like had he been younger and actively writing in the 80's.

'Across The Universe' is a homage to The Beatles and their influence on generations of musicians and music lovers all over the world. You will enjoy the instantly recognizable Beatles melodies blended into the elaborated and unique style of one of the greatest jazz guitarists of our time. These recordings not only are means to pay tribute to the Beatles, whom Di Meola had admired since his teenage years, but also go back in time and capture all the moments that define him today as a man and guitarist who inspired generations of musicians. Di Meola invites his audience to accompany him on his very personal musical journey throughout his life. A life that has been accompanied by iconic Beatles songs like 'Hey Jude', 'Here Comes The Sun', 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Yesterday'. 'Across The Universe' is a musical retrospective of Al Di Meola’s life, his music and his unique career of almost five decades.