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Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola at the Granada Theater, Dallas, Texas, December 6, 2006
Al Di Meola at the Granada Theater, Dallas, Texas, December 6, 2006
Background information
Birth nameAlbert Laurence Di Meola
Born (1954-07-22) July 22, 1954 (age 70)
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Songwriter
  • composer
  • musician
InstrumentGuitar
DiscographyAl Di Meola discography
Years active1974 – present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitealdimeola.com

Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, his breakthrough came through joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a successful and critically acclaimed solo career, noted for his technical mastery, complex compositions and explorations of Latin music. Some highlights of his work are Elegant Gypsy, his Friday Night in San Francisco collaboration and the World Sinfonia trilogy.[1][2]

An alumnus of Berklee College of Music and a Grammy Award winner, Di Meola's successful career includes high-profile collaborations such as Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Larry Coryell, Steve Winwood, Jaco Pastorius, Paco de Lucia, Bill Bruford, John McLaughlin, Jan Hammer, Jean-Luc Ponty, Steve Vai and others.

Early life

[edit]

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey,[3] into an Italian family with roots in Cerreto Sannita, a small town northeast of Benevento, Di Meola grew up in Bergenfield, where he attended Bergenfield High School.[4][5] He has been a resident of Old Tappan, New Jersey.[6]

When Di Meola was eight years old, his discovery of Elvis Presley and the Ventures inspired him to start playing guitar. Hearing The Beatles for the first time, though, was what that truly cemented his desire to become a musician. His older sister introduced them to Al on the family's 1963 Christmas, through their Meet the Beatles! LP. "Listening to that album really changed my life", said Di Meola. Watching their string of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, two months later, further strengthened his drive. Di Meola started his classes with guitar teacher Robert "Bob" Aslanian, who directed him toward jazz standards. He was also trained in theory, reading and other useful skills. "He was my biggest influence", he said of his first teacher.[7][8] As a teenager, Di Meola practiced guitar eight to ten hours per day.[9]

By the late 1960s, Di Meola became keenly aware of the rock explosion. Aside from British Invasion acts such as The Rolling Stones and The Who, he was particularly fond of the stateside acts coming from California. He was a fan of country rock acts such as The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills and Nash, as well as the Bay Area psychedelic rock scene, namely Moby Grape, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. "I loved all those bands", he said.[8]

One particular music group from San Francisco, said Al Di Meola, that had a definite "influence on me growing up" was Santana.[10]

Carlos always had a tone that everyone strived for, actually everyone dreamed of because striving didn’t mean we ever got it. People dreamed of that tone, it was wonderful. He was a guy I listened to in high school and that I admired so much because I loved the whole Latin element and the drive of their rock thing with the Latin percussion.[10]

In regard to his musical education, Al Di Meola said that middle class New Jersey "was the perfect place to grow up." Living close to New York, he could go the city's record stores and music clubs. "The greatest shows any night of the week". He visited Bill Graham's Fillmore East in Greenwich Village to see rock bands "on a weekly basis". He also went NYC's jazz clubs and Latin clubs, "soaking it all in".[11]

Although he went on to appreciate the "whole package" of late 1960s and early 1970s rock icons such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana, he never saw them as role models. "I never thought of the rock players as having good technique", he said. Alternatively, Di Meola was inspired by jazz guitarists George Benson, Tal Farlow and Kenny Burrell, and country guitarists such as Clarence White and Doc Watson. His musical direction solidified when exposed to jazz rock pioneers Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin.[7][8][12] Di Meola elaborates on Coryell's influence, acknowledging that his "unique approach" gave him the "confidence to continue in my direction." Hearing Coryell and other jazz musicians play live in NYC not only was "a real thrill", but also a "turning point."[13]

Career

[edit]

1970s

[edit]
Di Meola with Return to Forever at Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, New York, 1974

He attended Berklee College of Music in 1971.[3] There, he practiced up to eight hours a day.[7] At nineteen, he was hired by Chick Corea to replace Bill Connors in the pioneering jazz fusion band Return to Forever with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White.[3] Of joining the group, he said:

It was a dream come true. It was my favorite group. Chick was my favorite writer. I was in probably the greatest group for an electric guitar player possible. Chick was writing the most incredible music for electric guitar. And I was in the forefront. I was the guy who got the hippest guitar parts on the planet Earth at the time.[14]

Al Di Meola then compared Corea's band to John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, the group that inspired Chick Corea to take Return to Forever into a rockier, high-octane direction.[15] He argued:

Mahavishnu was not a compositional band. Go back and listen to their records — all they were doing was blowing. It was just tons of improvising and playing at fast tempos. But [Return to Forever] was a composition band, way more than Mahavishnu and Weather Report. It was really classical, rock and jazz, with tons of structure and parts, and the guitar in the forefront. It was great and really challenging. I took it very seriously.[14]

His short, two-year period with Return to Forever proved to be the group's career peak. He recorded three albums with the quartet, helping them earn its greatest commercial success as all three albums cracked the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard pop albums chart.[1]

No Mystery's title track won a Grammy for the Best Jazz Performance By A Group, but the band didn't show up for the event because they firmly believed they wouldn't win. Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald presented the prize.[16]

Al Di Meola recorded with Larry Coryell on Lenny White's solo debut album, Venusian Summer (1975). Di Meola and Coryell traded solos on "Prince of the Sea", the album's last track. The pairing caused a stir in the fusion community, with fans wondering who played what solo. Coryell reveals this was the only time he and Di Meola played together with electric guitars.[17]

In early 1976, Return to Forever released an album Romantic Warrior. Debuting at #170, it peaked at #35 in May, spending three weeks on the Billboard Top 40 and a total of 15 weeks on Billboard 200.[18] Fourteen years later it won a gold RIAA certification for selling an excess of 500,000 copies.[19][20] The album, as a whole, has been considered Chick Corea's answer to Rick Wakeman's successful The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975), either by its medieval themes or its prog rock leanings.[21]

Di Meola with Chick Corea in Rochester, New York, 1976

At the height of Return to Forever's popularity, Chick Corea decided to break up the group. The main reason for its sudden demise was the other band members' involvement in side-projects; White, Clarke and Di Meola were already investing in their solo works, with their labels and management backing up their new career moves, which may have hampered the progress of the main band.[22]

Chick Corea's deep involvement with Scientology might also have played a part in the end of Return to Forever's classic lineup. When asked, band members avoided the issue, although Clarke leaving Scientology at the time could have influenced the turn of events.[22][23]

As Return to Forever was disbanding around 1976, Di Meola recorded his first solo album, Land of the Midnight Sun (1976). Former members of Return to Forever, and newcomer bassist Jaco Pastorius notably collaborated with the recording. Early on, Di Meola was noted for his technical mastery and extremely fast, complex guitar solos and compositions, and his exploration of Mediterranean cultures and acoustic genres like flamenco and the classical guitar repertoire.[24]

To market his sophomore album, Elegant Gypsy (1977), Di Meola did an American tour with Weather Report, when Jaco Pastorius had joined the band. Both his and Weather Report's Heavy Weather album came out the same week on Columbia Records. Heavily promoted by the label, the tour was a success, with sold-out shows across the country.[25] Elegant Gypsy eventually went gold.[26]

From 1976 to 1978 he played with Stomu Yamashta in the supergroup Go on three records.

1980s

[edit]
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucía performing in Barcelona, Spain in the 1980s

Years after the Elegant Gypsy sessions, Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia were approached to do a tour with Leo Kottke. Weeks later, a better proposition turned up: a 2-month European tour with John McLaughlin. Di Meola became friendly with Paco, yet he never became quite close to McLaughlin. Di Meola revealed that the British guitarist was fiercely competitive, wary of being replaced as fusion's premiere guitarist. "It was like going into a boxing match and he's out to kill you", said Di Meola of McLaughlin's ruthless attitude. That fueled a six-stringed rivalry that largely benefited the audience.[27]

In 1980, Al Di Meola recorded the best-selling Friday Night in San Francisco live album with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía. Still a popular album, it went on to sell seven million copies worldwide.[1][28][29][30]

The trio reconvened in 1982 to record a studio album, Passion, Grace & Fire (1983). In the 2005 Spanish remaster of the album, flamenco scholars José Manuel Gamboa and Faustino Nuñez weigh in their impressions on the liner notes. Though somewhat lacking the "warmth" of the live setting of their debut, Passion, Grace & Fire is a more balanced effort. The three performers contribute with two compositions each.[31]

Al Di Meola produced Magic Touch (1985), Stanley Jordan's Blue Note debut.[32] The record spent 51 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's jazz chart,[33] and went gold almost 20 years after its release.[34] It garnered Grammy nominations in two categories: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist and Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal Or Instrumental.[35]

The latter half of the 1980s came with noticeable shifts in Di Meola's music. One was the adoption of the Synclavier guitar synthesizer into his compositions.

The second shift was the start of a "Brazilian" phase of sorts. Already a long-time MPB enthusiast, Di Meola name-checked Egberto Gismonti and Milton Nascimento on interviews. In Cielo e Terra (1985), he collaborated with drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira. By then, Moreira had a stellar track record in jazz fusion, having recorded and performed with Miles Davis and Chick Corea.[36][37]

Tirami Su (1987) continued Di Meola's infatuation with MPB. This time around Airto Moreira wasn't available, which led the guitarist to a fruitful collaboration with singer and songwriter Zé Renato. The Brazilian composer spent one month in New York City jamming and recording, doing mostly non-lyrical vocalizations to the music. Zé Renato then toured with the Al Di Meola Project across Europe and the USA. Tirami Su also featured guest singer Clara Sandroni, whom Di Meola discovered through Milton Nascimento's Encontros e Despedidas (1985).[36][38][39]

Al Di Meola was one of the select invitees to Les Paul's 72nd birthday celebration on June 8, 1987, at NYC's Hard Rock Cafe. He was invited to an impromtu jam with Les Paul and Jimmy Page, who earlier played over a 12-bar blues progression with Les Pauls' sidemen, playing riffs in the vein of Willie Dixon's "I Can't Quit You Baby". Other atendees included Bo Diddley, John Sebastian, Rick Derringer, Robby Krieger, Jeff Beck, Nile Rodgers and Elliot Easton.[40]

1990s

[edit]

Except for the occasional electric guitar foray on albums such as 1991's Kiss My Axe, he spent most of the next fifteen years both exploring acoustic and world music. Di Meola stated that part ("more than 50 percent") of the reason for stepping away from the electric guitar is due to hearing damage from years of playing at excessive volumes.[41][42]

In the mid-1990s Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke and Jean-Luc Ponty worked for five weeks on what became the The Rite of Strings album. Their world tour included a South American leg, starting at Argentinan capital Buenos Aires, where they played for 7,000-strong crowd at the Luna Park stadium. They proceeded to visit Brazil for five dates: two on São Paulo and one each in Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.[43][44]

The "fearsome threesome" of Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin reunited for a final time for The Guitar Trio (1996). Although the record and it's tour were a successful endeavour, frequent personality clashes ensued due to musical differences. The process was especially challenging for Di Meola for he lost his mother, Theresa, in the summer of 1996. They eventually grew used to one another again, and developed a healthy competitiveness that made "life on the road" possible.[45]

2000s

[edit]

Al Di Meola continued his successful streak in Germany, being awarded yet another gold album for World Sinfonía III – The Grande Passion (2000).[46]

Super Guitar Trio and Friends (TDK, 2001).

Al Di Meola rediscovered his love of the electric guitar in 2006,[47] and the DVD of his concert at the Leverkusen Jazz Festival 2006 is subtitled Return to Electric Guitar.[48]

On September 23, 2008, PRS Guitars unveiled their Al DiMeola signature model: the Al Di Meola Prism. It was the first PRS to have such a rich color scheme. The Prism was designed after the original Modern Eagle guitar, a cutting-edge midway between a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Stratocaster. It features a 25" neck, a tremolo bridge and 1957/2008 humbucker pickups, similar to vintage PAF pickups. The guitarist went on the 2008 Return to Forever reunion tour with it.[49][50]

2010s

[edit]

In July 10, 2013 Al Di Meola played at the 33th edition of Spain's Festival de la Guitarras de Córdoba. Approximately 25,000 people attended the event. Other participants included Michael Schenker, Fito y Fitipaldis, Tomatito Sexteto and Robert Cray.[51]

Di Meola at Leverkusener Jazztage (Forum/Leverkusen/Germany) on November 7, 2016

Al Di Meola returned to Spain in 2017, to the IV Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra Paco de Lucía. The festival was held in Algeciras, Paco's birthplace, from 17th to 22th of July. For Di Meola's only presentation in Spain that year, he made the "World Sinfonia" show.[52]

In 2018, Di Meola was awarded an honorary doctorate of music from his alma mater, Berklee College of Music.[53]

2020s

[edit]

On January 11, 2023, Al Di Meola wrote a heartfelt eulogy for Jeff Beck in his official Facebook page. "There was no one like Jeff" he said, praising his "most unique style." He reminisced how he grew up listening to Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969). He also remembered how he loved Beck's 1976-1979 visits to his Hammersmith Odeon shows on London.[54]

TwentyFour (2024).[55]

Personal life

[edit]

After a head injury when still a child, Al Di Meola developed a case of tinnitus. His time touring, especially with Return to Forever, worsened it. Although he had no hearing loss so far, he does experience the ringing sensation in his ears, typical of this condition, and the very high frequencies were compromised.[56]

In July 2016, Al Di Meola married Stephanie Kreis[1] after meeting after a 2013 concert of his in Budapest. Al has two daughters from a previous relationship; Oriana and Valentina. He also has a daughter with Stephanie, named Ava. Additionally, he is the first-time grandfather of Orion, Valentina's daughter.[57][58][59][60][61][62][63]

From 2020 onwards, Di Meola and family devised the A Fine Taste and Music house events.[64]

In September 2023 while performing on stage in Bucharest, Romania Di Meola suffered a heart attack. He was admitted to a local hospital where he was treated for ST elevation myocardial infarction.[65] Dates from his "The Electric Years" tour, like his appearance on Brazil's Rio Montreaux Jazz Festival, were immediately cancelled.[66][67] He took some time off from performances, but began performing again in January 2024.[68]

Artistry

[edit]

Songwriting

[edit]

By the time he was recording Casino, back in 1978, Al Di Meola described his music as a combination of Latin music - "probably my favorite" - and "beautiful romantic Italian melodies". His rock n' roll side brought in "the energy", and his deep appreciation for jazz contributed to the complexity of his compositions.[69]

Al Di Meola is known for using non-Western modes when composing. One example was "Egyptian Danza" - the opening track from Casino - based on a Phrygian dominant scale.[70] Right around that time, he said he was also keen on applying "elements" of the dorian, myxolydian, and locrian modes on his playing.[71]

Speed picking & Palm muting

[edit]

Besides the impressive speed and accuracy of his alternate picking, another hallmark of Al Di Meola's style is his palm muting.[72][73] In an interview to Rick Beato, Di Meola explained how he developed and practiced this technique: "[...] when I was younger, and the neighbors downstairs in the next yard, I didn't really want them to hear me play. So I would mute my strings. So I got kind of got used to the palm on the bridge and muting. But I also liked the fact that the notes popped".[74]

Di Meola espouses the advantages of palm muting when playing the electric guitar:

If you're playing, let's say, a Les Paul or a guitar with a lot of amplification in a sustained setting, and you go down low, it's pretty messy. So I would try to clean that up by muting so that you don't have this 'wash' of sound, if you know what I mean. It cleans up the wash, in a sense. So that kind of became a thing.[74]

Whammy bar

[edit]

Although fond of whammy bars, they're also notably absent from his playing style. Al di Meola's 1971 black Les Paul, featured on his early solo records, came with a Bigsby, which he had removed for a variety of reasons. He cited tuning issues, along with loss of tone and "some sustain capabilities."[75] In the 1980s di Meola acquired a PRS solid-body with a tremolo. He later quit using it, confessing he was "afraid of the obvious comparisons to other players."[76]

Other techniques

[edit]

Al Di Meola advocates for the importance of picking all notes as much as possible. He steers clear from sweep picking and hammer-ons, which he deems as "shortcuts". In his opinion they're detrimental, in the long run, "for playing more intricate kinds of music".[77] For one, this makes his playing quite distinct from blues guitarists, whose regular use of hammer-ons and pull-offs are essential to the style.[78][79] By avoiding sweep picking, he also sets himself apart from the 1980s shred guitar movement, which heavily relied on this technique.[80][81]

Al Di Meola is also proficient in crosspicking - a technique that meshes arpeggios with string skipping. One such example is "Vertigo Shadow" from Cielo e Terra, played at a 7/8 meter.[82]

Criticism

[edit]

The criticism of Al Di Meola's musicianship usually focuses on the perceived lack of expression and substance, despite being praised for his virtuosity. His guitar playing has been described as "clinical", "cold" or "soulless" by some critics and musicians, including guitarists John McLaughlin, who accused Di Meola of minimizing Di Meola's American influences and "playing cultural hopscotch" in the track "Egyptian Danza" from Di Meola's album Casino[83] and Gary Moore; Moore admired Di Meola, but declared the following in a 1983 interview to Music U.K. magazine:

Everything he does is academic, really. It's like a classical player's approach, if you like, cos that's what he originally was. He adapted that to the electric guitar. And whatever it is he does it's his style and it's really great for what it is. But I just find it very dead and a very sterile kind of style. Shame, cos what he does technically... if he just had a bit of depth to it, it could be fantastic.[84]

In February 1981, Jazz Journal described Di Meola's solo set, in a trio performance at the Royal Albert Hall with McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía, as a "one long and structureless amalgam of crudely connected passages" and considered Di Meola as "a rare breed of musicians who make virtuosity seem like a severe handicap."[85]

On this type of critique, Di Meola defended himself, stating:

It's a bunch of bullshit every time guitarists say, "One note says so much more than 100." I always laugh at idiots who make that claim. Tell that to a flamenco player or a classical player and see what they say. It's almost a defensive reaction. They take something they lack, attack it and claim they never wanted it in the first place. Sure![7]

On an interesting note, Di Meola claimed he didn't know who Gary Moore was in a 2016 Ultimate Guitar interview,[27] though he did a live rendition of Moore hit song "Parisienne Walkways" in 2012.[86][better source needed]

Legacy

[edit]

Al di Meola made an impression on a whole generation of hard rock and heavy metal guitar heroes. The list includes Mr. Big's Paul Gilbert, Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt and Dream Theater's John Petrucci.[72] The late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads, at one point, declared that di Meola was his favorite guitarist.[87] Neoclassical legends Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine and Jason Becker also sang praises for him.[88][89][90] MacAlpine said, back in 1987:

He's someone I greatly admire. I knew everything he ever did, every song from Return to Forever to all his solo albums. He was like the big guy to me. I picked up some things from him, like the right hand muting technique with the palm and the sheer speed and cleanless of execution. He was a big inspiration to me. He's mellowed out lately with Cielo e Terra and Soaring Through a Dream, which is cool. But I really like what he was doing before. I really hope he will incorporate that stuff back into what he's doing. I think he'll probably go back to that one day, and it'll be pretty amazing I'm sure.[89]

Al Di Meola's influence extends to other genres of as well. Toto guitarist and session musician Steve Lukather said Al was "incredible" and that his "sound and style [...] smacked me in the face". Along John McLaughlin, he was one of the 12 guitar players that shaped Lukather's style.[91]

Al Di Meola has been inducted for Guitar Player's "Gallery Of The Greats" by winning 5 times in one or more categories of the magazine's Annual Readers Poll. He has been awarded 14 times so far, on four different categories: "New Talent" (1975), "Jazz" (1977-1981), "Guitar LP" (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981) and "Acoustic Steel-String" (1983-1987).[92]

Guitar World magazine included Al Di Meola on their top 50 fastest "shredders" of all-time list. He was featured alongside other rock and jazz luminaries, such as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale and others. Di Meola personally dislikes the term, though, which he finds limiting. He sees himself as more of a composer than a virtuoso.[93][94]

Al Di Meola, along with former bandmates Return to Forever, received in 2008 the BBC Jazz "Lifetime Achievement Award" by Beatles producer George Martin. They performed Romantic Warrior's title track at the event.[95] In the same year he received a honorary doctorate degree from his alma mater, the Berklee College of Music.[96]

Al Di Meola was notably absent from Rolling Stone magazine's "250 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time" list, a list which stirred great controversy. Other notable omissions included Peter Frampton, Neal Schon, Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa, Guthrie Govan and Eric Gales. Rick Beato called the list "idiotic" and hit hard on it's questionable ranking: Pat Metheny at #157 and John McLaughlin at #72, for example.[97][98][99]

Discography

[edit]
Main article: Al Di Meola discography

Refer to the main article for Di Meola's extensive discography.

Awards and nominations

[edit]

Grammy Awards[100]

  • 1976: Best Jazz Performance By A Group – "No Mystery" with Chick Corea & Return to Forever

Guitar Player Magazine[92][101]

Berklee College of Music

  • 2008: Honorary Doctorate Degree

BBC Jazz Awards

  • 2008: Lifetime Achievement with Chick Corea & Return to Forever

Latin Grammy Awards[102]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Prato, Greg. "Al Di Meola". AllMusic. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Smith, Toby (November 6, 2009). "Al Di Meola, World Sinfonia Australian Tour – March 2010". Music Feeds. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 697. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^ Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians, jazz.com, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 26, 2009; accessed September 11, 2017. "Di Meola was born to an Italian family with roots in jazz fusion on July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from Manhattan. He grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey, located in Bergen County.... When Di Meola completed his studies at Bergenfield High School, he enrolled in classes at the Berklee College of Music in Boston."
  5. ^ Al Di Meola profile, Concord(entertainment company); accessed September 11, 2017.
    "Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on July 22, 1954, Al Di Meola grew up with the music of The Ventures, The Beatles and Elvis Presley. ... 'In the '60s, if you didn't play like Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page, you weren't accepted,' he recalls of his high school years in Bergenfield, New Jersey."
  6. ^ Stewart, Zan. The State of Jazz: Meet 40 More Jersey Greats, The Star-Ledger, September 28, 2003, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 29, 2007. Accessed September 11, 2017. "Al DiMeola – One of the most dynamic of contemporary guitarists, Jersey City native DiMeola lives in Old Tappan."
  7. ^ a b c d Guitar World Staff (July 22, 2016). "Al Di Meola: "It's Bullshit When Guitarists Say, "One Note Says So Much More Than 100"". Guitar World. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Myers, Marc (July 11, 2022). "Interview: Al Di Meola on 'Saturday Night in SF'". JazzWax. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  9. ^ Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. Backbeat Books. p. 57.
  10. ^ a b Reid, Graham (March 14, 2010). "AL DI MEOLA INTERVIEWED (2009): Guitarist from the loud to the listener". Elswhere. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  11. ^ Debic, Boris (July 13, 2015). "Al Di Meola Performance & Conversation". Talks at Google. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. Backbeat Books. p. 57. ISBN 9781617130236.
  13. ^ Coryell, Julie; Friedman, Laura (1978). Jazz-rock fusion: the people, the music. USA: Dell Publising Co., Inc. p. 115. ISBN 0-440-54409-2.
  14. ^ a b Prasad, Anil (2003). "Al Di Meola: Telling It Like It Is". InnerViews: Music Without Borders. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Woodard, Josef (September 1988). "Chick Corea: Piano Dreams Come True". DownBeat. Vol. 55, no. 9. Chicago, IL. p. 19. ISSN 0012-5768.
  16. ^ Di Meola, Al (February 4, 2024). "[RtF Grammy award]". Facebook. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Coryell, Larry (2007). Improvising: my life in music. New York, NY: Backbeat Books. p. 197. ISBN 9780879308261.
  18. ^ "Album / Return To Forever / Romantic Warrior". Billboard Database. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum Program". RIAA. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (To access, enter the keywords "Return to Forever"). RIAA. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  21. ^ Nicholson, Stuart (May 13, 2021). "Chick Corea: an appreciation of one of jazz's great musicians". Jazzwise. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Herzig, Monika (2017). Experiencing Chick Corea: a listener's companion. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-44224-469-6.
  23. ^ Point, Michael (August 2008). "Let them hear fusion!". DownBeat. Vol. 75, no. 8. Elmhurt, IL. p. 30. ISSN 0012-5768.
  24. ^ Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
  25. ^ Marchand, Paul (August 3, 2024). "Al Di Meola on Jimi Hendrix and the start of 'jazz-rock fusion'". Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (To access, enter the keywords "Al Di Meola"). RIAA. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Rosen, Steven (June 25, 216). "An Interview With Guitar Legend Al Di Meola - Part 2". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  28. ^ Scheel, Christian. "Al Di Meola World Sinfonia". Nova Concerts. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  29. ^ Debic, Boris (July 23, 2015). "Al Di Meola Performance & Conversation". Talks at Google. Retrieved October 10, 2024 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Beato, Rick (October 18, 2023). "Al Di Meola talks Recording with Paco de Lucía". Retrieved September 28, 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ Gamboa & Nuñez 2005, page 2.
  32. ^ Ferguson, Jim (February 1986). "Leaving fusion behind: Al Di Meola redefines himself". Guitar Player. Vol. 20, no. 2. Cupertino, CA. p. 63. ISSN 0017-5463.
  33. ^ Kritzer, Jamie (January 24, 2015). "STANLEY JORDAN: JAZZ INNOVATOR". News & Record. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  34. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (To access, enter the keywords "Stanley Jordan"). RIAA. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  35. ^ "Grammy Award nominees – Stanley Jordan". Grammy.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  36. ^ a b Costa, Sérgio (March 2, 2017). "A paixão latina e a guitarra elétrica com Al Di Meola". Segunda Opinião (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  37. ^ Aiex, Tony (July 25, 2018). "Al Di Meola vem ao Brasil e nós batemos um papo com o músico". Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos! (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  38. ^ Faria, Nelson (July 10, 2020). ""A parceria com Al Di Meola" com Zé Renato / Pequenas Histórias". Um café lá em casa (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved September 25, 2024 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ "Clara Sandroni". Dicionário Cravo Albin da Música Popular Brasileira (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved October 3, 2024.
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  42. ^ Reid, Graham (March 14, 2010). "AL DI MEOLA INTERVIEWED (2009): Guitarist from the loud to the listener". Elsewhere. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
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  44. ^ "Al Di Meolaa's 1995 Concert History". Concert Archives. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
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  46. ^ "GOLD-/PLATIN-Datenbank" (To access, enter the keywords "Al Di Meola"). BVMI. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  47. ^ "In Conversation with Al Di Meola" – special feature on the Speak a Volcano DVD
  48. ^ Speak a Volcano: Return to Electric Guitar (2007) DVD
  49. ^ Premiere Guitar (September 22, 2008). "New PRS Al Di Meola Prism Guitar". Premiere Guitar. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  50. ^ Burrluck, Dave (August 24, 2023). "PRS Modern Eagle V review – 17 pickup options and a jaw-dropping guitar build that's impossible to fault". Guitar World. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  51. ^ "33 EDICIÓN – 2013". Festival de la Guitarra de Córboda (in Spanish). Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  52. ^ "Al Di Meola ofrece en Algeciras su único concierto en España en el marco del IV Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra "Paco de Lucía"". Ayuntamiento de Algeciras (in Spanish). July 20, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  53. ^ "Al Di Meola Gets Honorary Berklee Doctorate". JazzTimes. April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  54. ^ Di Meola, Al (January 11, 2023). "[Jeff Beck eulogy]". Facebook. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  55. ^ Borg, Janelle (October 5, 2024). ""There are a lot of electric players that just cannot play a nylon-string guitar": Al Di Meola on why he opts to practice on an acoustic guitar – even when preparing for electric-heavy tours". Guitar World. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  56. ^ Widders-Ellis, Andy (February 1992). "Al di Meola: an unrepentant virtuoso takes on the world". Guitar Player. Vol. 26, no. 2. San Francisco, CA. p. 74. ISSN 0017-5463.
  57. ^ Di Meola, Al (October 18, 2020). "[My dear Stephanie]". Official Al Di Meola. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via Instagram.
  58. ^ Di Meola, Al (September 24, 2020). "[Happy Birthday Oriana]". Official Al Di Meola. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
  59. ^ Di Meola, Al (July 3, 2018). "[Happy 21st Valentina]". Official Al Di Meola. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
  60. ^ Di Meola, Al (August 13, 2023). "[Back to the roots]". Official Al Di Meola. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
  61. ^ Di Meola, Al (August 13, 2023). "[Grandson Orion]". Official Al Di Meola. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
  62. ^ Di Meola, Al (June 20, 2019). "[Valentina's milestone]". Official Al Di Meola. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
  63. ^ Di Meola, Al (December 26, 2020). "[Christmas gift]". Official Al Di Meola. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Instagram.
  64. ^ Bienstock, Richard (March 5, 2011). "Al Di Meola on his VIP dinner parties, losing Chick Corea and unearthing a new guitar trio record with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía". Guitar World. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  65. ^ "US guitarist Al Di Meola suffers a heart attack on stage in Romania but is now in a stable condition". AP News. September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  66. ^ "[The Electric Years]". Official Al Di Meola. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Instagram.
  67. ^ "[COMUNICADO OFICIAL]". Rio Montreaux Jazz Festival. September 28, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Instagram.
  68. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  69. ^ Trigger, Vic (February 1978). "Al Di Meola: Guitar Player's poll winner gives away some secrets". Guitar Player. Vol. 12, no. 1. San Francisco, CA. p. 46. ISSN 0017-5463.
  70. ^ Guitar Player Staff (September 1, 2023). "John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Marty Friedman and Yngwie Malmsteen Didn't Rely Exclusively on Western Scales - so Why Should You?". Guitar Player. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  71. ^ Trigger, Vic (February 1978). "Al Di Meola: Guitar Player's poll winner gives away some secrets". Guitar Player. Vol. 12, no. 1. San Francisco, CA. p. 35. ISSN 0017-5463.
  72. ^ a b Griffiths, Charlie (July 19, 2024). "'A relentless speed and accuracy rarely heard before on the electric guitar': Al Di Meola's peerless alternate-picking style changed the landscape of guitar playing – just ask John Petrucci and Nuno Bettencourt". Guitar World. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
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  74. ^ a b Slavković, David (March 8, 2022). "Al Di Meola Explains Why It's 'Torture' to Record an Album Today, Talks Unusual Way How He Developed Palm Muting Technique". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  75. ^ Prato, Greg (July 22, 2024). "'I Love the Vibrato Bar, But...': Al Di Meola Reveals Biggest Problems of Guitars With Tremolo Bridges". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  76. ^ Widders-Ellis, Andy (February 1992). "Al di Meola: an unrepentant virtuoso takes on the world". Guitar Player. Vol. 26, no. 2. San Francisco, CA. p. 71. ISSN 0017-5463.
  77. ^ Wyatt, Keith (1991). "Al di Meola: REH Master Series". REH Video. Retrieved August 25, 2024 – via YouTube.
  78. ^ McCumber, Dennis (October 5, 2010). "Deep Blues: Hammer-ons and Pull-offs - Essential Techniques for Blues Soloing". Premiere Guitar. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  79. ^ Saphir, Andy (October 27, 2023). "Blues playing giving you the blues? Welcome to the ultimate blues guitar workshop: an in-depth lesson that will make you a better blues guitarist". Guitar Techniques. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  80. ^ Bowcott, Nick (2007). "The art of shredding". Guitar World. Vol. 28, no. 1. New York, NY. p. 70. ISSN 1045-6295.
  81. ^ Joseph, Al (June 29, 2024). "The Shred Decoder's Guide to Sweep Picking". Premiere Guitar. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  82. ^ Di Meola, Al (November 1990). "Crosspicking thoughts". Guitar Player. Vol. 24, no. 11. San Francisco, CA. p. 82. ISSN 0017-5463.
  83. ^ Woodard, Josef (August 1994). "BLINDFOLD TEST: JOHN MCLAUGHLIN". DownBeat. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  84. ^ Bacon, Tony (January 1983). "Gary Moore". Music U.K. Vol. 13. p. 22.
  85. ^ Bateson, Matthew (February 1981). "JJ 02/81: John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia at Royal Albert Hall, London". Jazz Journal. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  86. ^ "Al Di Meola - Parisienne Walkways (Lynott, Moore)". Al Di Meola. August 23, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2024 – via YouTube.
  87. ^ Wayne Carew, Francis (January 2018). The guitar voice of Randy Rhoads (M.A.). Wayne State University – Detroit, MI. p. 45. ISSN 2572-8601. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  88. ^ Sharma, Amit (December 26, 2019). "Yngwie Malmsteen: the 10 guitarists who impressed me most". MusicRadar. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  89. ^ a b Milkowski, Bill (November 1987). "Mr. Monster". Guitar World. Vol. 8, no. 8. New York, NY. p. 82. ISSN 1045-6295.
  90. ^ Daly, Andrew (September 13, 2023). ""I looked up Tosin Abasi and Tim Henson, and I was so inspired. I had to stop watching their videos because I wanted to pick up a guitar and try playing their stuff": Jason Becker opens up on his heroes old and new, career regrets and unreleased music". Guitar World. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  91. ^ Daly, Andrew (March 11, 2024). ""Jimi Hendrix scared me. Learning about the Hendrix E chord was amazing… I figured out where to put my fingers and kinda eked it out on my own": Steve Lukather names the 12 guitarists who shaped his sound". Guitar World. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
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  93. ^ Guitar World Staff (March 11, 2015). "Need for speed: The 50 fastest shred guitarists of all time". Guitar World. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  94. ^ Jomatami (August 4, 2020). "Al Di Meola Explains His Problem With 'Shredders,' Names Surprising Connection With Iconic Rock Song". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  95. ^ Fordham, John (July 23, 2008). "BBC Jazz Awards 2008: A winning shindig". The Guardian. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  96. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  97. ^ "The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. October 13, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  98. ^ Parker, Matt (October 18, 2023). "The Rolling Stone 250 greatest guitarists list gets a lot of things right – but some of its exclusions are just plain wrong". Guitar World. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
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  101. ^ Sievert (1990), pp. 28-29.
  102. ^ "Latin Grammy Award nominees – Al di Meola". LatinGRAMMY.com. Retrieved August 8, 2024.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Di Meola, Al (November 1990). "Crosspicking thoughts". Guitar Player. Vol. 24, no. 11. San Francisco, CA. p. 82-83. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Ferguson, Jim (February 1986). "Leaving fusion behind: Al Di Meola redefines himself". Guitar Player. Vol. 20, no. 2. Cupertino, CA. p. 62-63, 70-72, 74, 76, 78, 81. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Ferguson, Jim (June 1986). "Synclavier Artists". Guitar Player. Vol. 20, no. 6. San Francisco, CA. p. 122, 124, 126-127, 155. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Lalaina, Joe (November 1987). "Stars, guitars and open bars: Les Paul's Birthday Bash". Guitar World. Vol. 8, no. 8. New York, NY. pp. 14–15. ISSN 1045-6295.
  • Luttjeboer, Hemme (February 1992). "'Last tango for Astor' by Al di Meola". Guitar Player. Vol. 26, no. 2. San Francisco, CA. pp. 79–81. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Milkowski, Bill (November 1987). "Mr. Monster". Guitar World. Vol. 8, no. 8. New York, NY. pp. 78–79, 81–85. ISSN 1045-6295.
  • Mockensturm, Dan (June 1986). "Di Meola's Programmer". Guitar Player. Vol. 20, no. 6. San Francisco, CA. pp. 125, 178. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • McLaughlin, John; Di Meola, Al; de Lucia, Paco. (1983). Passion, Grace & Fire. [CD]. Barcelona, Spain: Global Rhythm Press. Paco de Lucia: Obra Completa Remasterizada (2005).
  • Pohren, Donn E. (1992). Paco de Lucía and Family: the master plan. Madrid, Spain: Society of Spanish Studies. ISBN 9780933224629.
  • Point, Michael (August 2008). "Let them hear fusion!". DownBeat. Vol. 75, no. 8. Elmhurt, IL. pp. 28–30, 32–33. ISSN 0012-5768.
  • Resnicoff, Matt (February 1997). "Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin: the guitar trio returns". Guitar Player. Vol. 31, no. 2. San Francisco, CA. p. 29-30. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Sievert, Jon (January 1990). "20 years of reader's choices". Guitar Player. Vol. 24, no. 1. San Francisco, CA. pp. 28–29. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Trigger, Vic (February 1978). "Al Di Meola: Guitar Player's poll winner gives away some secrets". Guitar Player. Vol. 12, no. 1. San Francisco, CA. pp. 34–36, 38, 40, 44, 46, 48, 50. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Widders-Ellis, Andy (February 1992). "Al di Meola: an unrepentant virtuoso takes on the world". Guitar Player. Vol. 26, no. 2. San Francisco, CA. pp. 68–72, 74, 76. ISSN 0017-5463.
  • Wheeler, Tom (March 1981). "John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia: SUPER TRIO". Guitar Player. Vol. 15, no. 3. Cupertino, CA. pp. 70–76, 78, 80, 82. ISSN 0017-5463.
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