Al Di Meola Music

This is a fantastic collection of Al Dimeola's acoustic work. The only sad thing is that this cd can be really hard to find. But if you find it, the live version of "Mediterranean Sundance" alone is worth the price. If you like acoustic jazz and/ or guitar virtuosos, buy this now.

This collection samples each of di Meola's Columbia albums (except Tour de Force: Live) beginning with his 1976 debut along with his first two albums with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia. This is a guitar player's delight. His playing can be at times delicate and ferocious, but always engaging. Di Meola teams up with his former boss Chick Corea on "Short Tales of the Black Forest," "Two to Tango" and "Isfahan." [The latter two--along with "Splendido Sundance"--are from Splendido Hotel, arguably his best album.] You also get two versions of "Passion, Grace & Fire." The first is from Electric Rendezvous and features di Meola and de Lucia; the second adds McLaughlin. Di Meola is equally adept on the electric guitar, but I prefer his acoustic work. If you're unfamiliar with this gifted guitarist, this is an economical way to acquaint yourself with his early solo work. RECOMMENDED

When the source for an anthology is the rich catalogue which DiMeola has established with the collaboration of John McLaughlin, Paco De Lucia and Chick Corea, the result must be tireless, dazzling, focused. The tracks here come from such strong albums as "Splendido Hotel," "Friday Night in San Francisco," "Passion, Grace & Fire" - albums which are not burdened with any great deal of deadwood, so a selection must perforce be outstanding. There is throughout the disc a demonstration of technique which excites admiration; I find myself a little puzzled at people who dismiss disciplined technique as "lacking heart," as though a mediocre guitarist who has had a couple of beers and is feeling sentimental is somehow musically superior. If you feel that an album where someone does not sing "doo-wah" is an opportunity lost, you will not much care for this album, I am afraid. But if anyone can listen to "Passion, Grace & Fire" without his heart singing within him ... well, let us share a moment of silence. While this is seldom the true exposition of flamenco, it shares enough of that world that never a moment is dull. All right, I don't want to sound tiresome by seeming to suggest that there is nothing in this album with which I find fault; there is, actually. The cover art is awful. The black-and-white photographs are hideous (especially - sorry, Al - the one with no shirt); and the wood-grain background should be a different tone ... as it is, the cover art reminds the sensitive listener of a K-Tel anthology-packaged-for-the-home-shopping-network with distressing accuracy. The closest I have to a musical grievance is the tinny sound to the studio cut of "Mediterranean Sundance." And, probably, I prefer the "Fantasia Suite" from "Friday Night in San Francisco," but I suppose this one was chosen to show Al off, as overdubbing all the parts. All in all, not much to cavil at. Is Al DiMeola the greatest guitarist in the world? No, but at his best, he's a damned fine one, and this album puts his best foot forward.

I do not have a lot of guitar instructional videos so I don't have a lot to compare it to. I DO have John McLaughlin's new DVD set and I have to say that I think I like Di Meola's better simply because its seems so much more concise. It helped my technique a lot just to see what he was doing. He goes over improv most of the time and hes able to fit a lot onto one DVD as opposed to McLaughlin's 3 DVD set and for only a fourth of the price. I just don't seem to have time for McLaughlin's stuff. I found this on DVD for $35 at a local music store and am very happy with the purchase. The performances are also great to see.

Having bought the video... without hesitation I was hoping for the same on DVD but am happy to have it on VHS.

This is a great video for any guitarist wishing to improve their technique. The price is worth it considering the content. How much would you pay for a private lesson with Al?

This is a great video for guitar instruction. Version 1 from Al.

Anyway this is a great video for all those which enjoy Al's style. Please pay the price it is worth it in the long run.

Good luck.

Filled with snippets of Mr. Di Meola playing guitar with his 'World Sinfonia' band, while also focusing primarily on his incredible technique, this video is ideal for both musicians who would like to know and play as Al does, as well as entertain any fan who is amazed by both his techniqual and composition skills. This video is a little old, about 10 years or so, and while the music is at least as old, it still is worth checking out. I feel that the 40 or so dollar price range is a little unacceptable, considering not only that the tape is rather old, but that the tape only comes with a 20+ page paperbacked booklet which only focuses mostly on solos. Still, though, it's the only instructional video that Mr. Di Meola has made so far, and you aren't going to find much better, as far as instructional videos from incredibly talented musicians go. I would recommend this product to either intermediate to advanced musicians, as Al's technique and mastery of the instrument far surpasses anything that a beginning guitarist could comprehend, and therefore I wouldn't recommend that a 'newbie' attempt to play these impossibly fast solos (although it is good for practice when slowed down!).

A quick review to say that the mixed reviews here should have indicated to me that this is not a great Al di Meola DVD. I bought it anyway and was disappointed even as a fan. Yes, some of the trio playing redeemed this historic footage but seeing there are so many other Al di Meola DVD's now out, don't waste your money. (Look out for the new Return to Forever DVD or the Di Meola/Clarke/Ponty - Live at Montreux 1994 DVD)

I found the opening concert with Al at his self-indulgent worst. Endless runs on the Ovation with little song structure - rambling at worst and bland at best. Is the sound good - yes, the usual 'Live at Montreux' great stereo, 5.1, DTS options...BUT this DVD doesn't do justice to a wonderful master guitarist/composer - go buy any one of CD's for a more enjoyable music experience.

As a guitarist myself, I love Al Dimeola. Back to his early days with Chick Corea, he has developed into an even more awesome guitarist. I was hoping this DVD would be something I could watch and play again and again. but though the music was immensely enjoyable, the vidography so totally sucked as to completely detract and distract from the music. So little of his playing and fretwork from a constant frontal view, as in watching a concert. Instead, a contant, sometimes rapid and mostly just irritating, cutting from one view to another, mostly from the back, I completely lost insterest and started getting frustrated. What a shame. So much of the awe is in watching him play. So little enjoyment here.

I need some more Albums like...
Al De Meola , John Mc Laughlin, Paco De Lucia
And Drum Solo by Tony Royster Jr (Album Pure Energy)
If you have this kindly quote the Price

In response to my compatriot Donald in Van BC, Sr. Dimeola did happen to visit our city on a couple of occasions during the 90's Once with The Rite of Strings in which... if I'm not mistaken they kicked that tour off here in Van with 'Alma Libre' (Locals) as the backup group. The Trio (ROS) didn't have alot of ironing out to do being the calibure players that they are but they were using sheet music and at one point Al's blew away from him on stage at a critical point in a song.. but he nailed it anyway and the crowd went NUTZ! He was also here earlier in the 90's with his own band at the Commodore again a fabulous show and obviously much more "electrified' than that of the acoustic trio of him Ponty and Clarke. I'm looking forward to checking out these Montreaux DVD's thanks for the reviews.

The 1986 concert starts out a little rough - they should have edited the intro/sound check and the camera work could be better and the tone is best played through a Surround Sound system. The video is totally clear and there is plenty of fingerwork zoom, though some useless camera angles.
Also, here is a more accurate track list:
Intro/sound check
Orient Blue
Vertigo Shadow
Atavism of Twilight
Enigma of Desire
Medley/improv:
Untitled (but published in Guitar Player on a floppy record)
Soaring Through a Dream (quote)
Rhapsody of Fire
Etude (quote)
Passion, Grace & Fire
percussion
Cielo e Terra
Mediterranean Sundance
Encore:
Etude
Capoeira
This music is so unusual it requires an explanation. The 1985 album Cielo e Terra - the basis of this 1986 concert - features compositions inspired by (and titled after) Salvador Dali paintings - so this is 'surreal guitar' - characterized by strange and beautiful chord voicings (not found in any chord dictionary or elsewhere) played with fast, smooth arpeggiation and intricate scalar runs with frequent rhythm and tempo changes. There is copious melodic and percussively rhythmic improvisation throughout. The percussively rhythmic picking is another of His specialties. No one demonstrates such a high level of mastery of the three musical dimensions - harmony, melody and rhythm - intertwined across such a wide range of musical styles all executed with creative improvisation, precision and ever-present grace as Al Di Meola.
He's the Bruce Lee of Kung Fu guitar!
Bottom-line:
Fans: Buy it, of course.
Guitarists: required listening/viewing to witness what is possible on the instrument. (See also his lesson video with excerpts mercifully dumbed-down for mere mortals.)
Virtuosi (of any instrument): Absolutely worthy addition.
General audience: The World Sinfonia concert will be more 'accessible'.

It is quite different from Rite of Strings. But I liked it a lot.
Sounds Great!!

The adition of the srting quartet turned the concert I had seen in Lisbon into a more sophisticated perfomance.

This concert performance is excellent. This is a performance of his acoustic world music style, although the songs cover a wide range of his career including things he did on his electric.

From the time he steps on stage he is on fire. His band is tight, spontaneous and gets a huge sound for only a few musicians. The first few songs he does with the whole group including the string quartet and are nice. Then starting with Orient Blue he cuts loose on guitar with Gumbi Ortiz on congas and various percussion. He plays some really cool improve lines that show his blazingly fast, intricate and syncopated technique. Gumbi and Al get into a musical dialog and challenge each other, with Gumbi egging him on. This is worth the price of the DVD if you like virtuoso guitar work. Then they go on to play some more songs with the entire group off of various CDs. On Libertango Gumbi and Al get into it again for some spirited playing dialog.

I think the sound quality is excellent for 2 channel stereo and the camera work is fine. They just have a few camera positions covering the concert and they focus on Al a lot but give the other players and the whole stage some footage when appropriate.

Hola a todos. El DVD de Al es una grabación en vivo en el teatro Scala, Ludwigsburg en Alemania. El concierto está editado puesto que luego de la presentación en alemán, debería comenzar con algunas interpretaciones en solitario, las cuales no se incluyen en el DVD. Pese a esto, el concierto trae 11 piezas muy bien logradas. El diálogo entre los músicos es notable y su interacción y maestría demuestran la calidad interpretativa de Di Meola y su grupo. Entre ellos destaca especialmente la percusión de Gumbi Ortiz, que se acopla perfectamente con Al para generar improvisaciones impresionantes. La inclusión del cuarteto de cuerdas Sturcz complementa de manera perfecta la armonización de algunas de las piezas musicales. Incluye un Make Up del DVD y una pequeña biografía de Al para lectura en pantalla. Me parece una compra bastante buena y muy recomendable para cualquier aficionado al Jazz Fusion.

Overall, this DVD is definitely a great pick for guitar lovers, be it jazz, classical, rock or even world music. The unique set-up of this concert - Al's guitar, an amazing keyboardist, two percussionists (no bass!) and a string quartet - make the sound this band produces something quite unique and not easily definable. Add to this the fact that Al plays an acoustic guitar, synthesizing its sound to be an electric guitar sound in high pitches - which makes it quite a unique sound as well. Sound quality as well as picture quality is excellent, and Al is in top performance technically. Only draw back of this DVD is a typical drawback to 'jazz-oriented' concerts: For the most part, unless you have a very intimate familiarity with every note in Al's tune (which most he wrote plus a couple by Astor Piazzloa) the overall sound becomes repetitive and somewhat dull as the concert grows, with no peaks or major moves to create excitement. Still, due to the good parts of the DVD it's a must for Al's lovers and a good pick for guitar lovers in general.