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Al Di Meola

January 17, 2023

Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954)[1] is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974. Between the 1970s and 1980s, albums such as Elegant Gypsy and Friday Night in San Francisco earned him both critical and commercial success.[2][3]

Al Di Meola
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 68)
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresJazz, jazz fusion, world music, world fusion
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1974–present
LabelsColumbia, Telarc, Tomato
Formerly ofReturn to Forever
Websitealdimeola.com

Early life

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey,[1] 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 he was eight years old, he was inspired by Elvis Presley and the Ventures to start playing guitar. His teacher directed him toward jazz standards. He cites as influences jazz guitarists George Benson and Kenny Burrell and bluegrass and country guitarists Clarence White and Doc Watson.[7]

Career

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

He attended Berklee College of Music in 1971.[1] 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.[1] He recorded three albums with Return to Forever, helping the quartet earn its greatest commercial success as all three albums cracked the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard pop albums chart.[2]

As Return to Forever was disbanding around 1976, Di Meola began recording solo albums on which he demonstrated a mastery of jazz fusion, flamenco, and Mediterranean music.[8] His album Elegant Gypsy (1977) received a gold certification. In 1980, he recorded the acoustic live album, Friday Night in San Francisco, with Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin.[2]

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

In the beginning of his career, as evidenced on his first solo album Land of the Midnight Sun (1976, on which Jaco Pastorius and the ex-members of RTF collaborated), Di Meola was noted for his technical mastery and extremely fast, complex guitar solos and compositions. But even on his early albums, he had begun to explore Mediterranean cultures and acoustic genres like flamenco. Notable examples are "Mediterranean Sundance" and "Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil" from the Elegant Gypsy album (1977).

His early albums were influential among rock and jazz guitarists. Di Meola continued to explore Latin music within jazz fusion on Casino and Splendido Hotel. He exhibited a more subtle touch on acoustic numbers "Fantasia Suite for Two Guitars" from the Casino album and on the best-selling live album with McLaughlin and de Lucia, Friday Night in San Francisco. The latter album became one of the most popular live albums for acoustic guitar, selling more than two million copies worldwide.[9]

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

In the mid-1980s, Di Meola began to incorporate the Synclavier guitar synthesizer into his compositions. Except for the occasional electric guitar foray on albums such as 1991's Kiss My Axe, he spent most of the next two decades exploring acoustic music and world music. He rediscovered his love of the electric guitar in 2006,[10] and the DVD of his concert at the Leverkusen Jazz Festival 2006 is subtitled Return to Electric Guitar.[11] In 2018, Di Meola was awarded an honorary doctorate of music from his alma mater, Berklee College of Music.[12]

Discography

Main article: Al Di Meola discography

References

  1. ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 697. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ a b c Prato, Greg. "Al Di Meola". AllMusic. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  3. ^ Smith, Toby (November 6, 2009). "Al Di Meola, World Sinfonia Australian Tour - March 2010". Music Feeds. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  4. ^ , 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 22nd, 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 Bicycle Music; 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 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. ^ "Al Di Meola: "It's Bullshit When Guitarists Say, "One Note Says So Much More Than 100"". Guitar World. July 22, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  8. ^ Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
  9. ^ Scheel, Christian. "Al Di Meola World Sinfonia". Nova Concerts. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  10. ^ "In Conversation with Al Di Meola" – special feature on the Speak a Volcano DVD
  11. ^ Speak a Volcano: Return to Electric Guitar (2007) DVD
  12. ^ "Al Di Meola Gets Honorary Berklee Doctorate". JazzTimes. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al Di Meola.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Al Di Meola.
  • Official site
  • Al Di Meola Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2015)

January 17, 2023
meola, albert, laurence, meola, born, july, 1954, american, guitarist, known, works, jazz, fusion, world, music, began, career, guitarist, group, return, forever, 1974, between, 1970s, 1980s, albums, such, elegant, gypsy, friday, night, francisco, earned, both. Albert Laurence Di Meola born July 22 1954 1 is an American guitarist Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974 Between the 1970s and 1980s albums such as Elegant Gypsy and Friday Night in San Francisco earned him both critical and commercial success 2 3 Al Di MeolaAl Di Meola at the Granada Theater Dallas Texas December 6 2006Background informationBirth nameAlbert Laurence Di MeolaBorn 1954 07 22 July 22 1954 age 68 Jersey City New Jersey U S GenresJazz jazz fusion world music world fusionInstrument s GuitarYears active1974 presentLabelsColumbia Telarc TomatoFormerly ofReturn to ForeverWebsitealdimeola wbr com Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Discography 4 References 5 External linksEarly life EditBorn in Jersey City New Jersey 1 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 he was eight years old he was inspired by Elvis Presley and the Ventures to start playing guitar His teacher directed him toward jazz standards He cites as influences jazz guitarists George Benson and Kenny Burrell and bluegrass and country guitarists Clarence White and Doc Watson 7 Career Edit Di Meola with Return to Forever at Onondaga Community College Syracuse New York 1974 He attended Berklee College of Music in 1971 1 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 1 He recorded three albums with Return to Forever helping the quartet earn its greatest commercial success as all three albums cracked the Top 40 on the U S Billboard pop albums chart 2 As Return to Forever was disbanding around 1976 Di Meola began recording solo albums on which he demonstrated a mastery of jazz fusion flamenco and Mediterranean music 8 His album Elegant Gypsy 1977 received a gold certification In 1980 he recorded the acoustic live album Friday Night in San Francisco with Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin 2 Al Di Meola John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia performing in Barcelona Spain in the 1980s In the beginning of his career as evidenced on his first solo album Land of the Midnight Sun 1976 on which Jaco Pastorius and the ex members of RTF collaborated Di Meola was noted for his technical mastery and extremely fast complex guitar solos and compositions But even on his early albums he had begun to explore Mediterranean cultures and acoustic genres like flamenco Notable examples are Mediterranean Sundance and Lady of Rome Sister of Brazil from the Elegant Gypsy album 1977 His early albums were influential among rock and jazz guitarists Di Meola continued to explore Latin music within jazz fusion on Casino and Splendido Hotel He exhibited a more subtle touch on acoustic numbers Fantasia Suite for Two Guitars from the Casino album and on the best selling live album with McLaughlin and de Lucia Friday Night in San Francisco The latter album became one of the most popular live albums for acoustic guitar selling more than two million copies worldwide 9 Di Meola at Leverkusener Jazztage Forum Leverkusen Germany on November 7 2016 In the mid 1980s Di Meola began to incorporate the Synclavier guitar synthesizer into his compositions Except for the occasional electric guitar foray on albums such as 1991 s Kiss My Axe he spent most of the next two decades exploring acoustic music and world music He rediscovered his love of the electric guitar in 2006 10 and the DVD of his concert at the Leverkusen Jazz Festival 2006 is subtitled Return to Electric Guitar 11 In 2018 Di Meola was awarded an honorary doctorate of music from his alma mater Berklee College of Music 12 Discography EditMain article Al Di Meola discography 1976 Land of the Midnight Sun Columbia 1977 Elegant Gypsy Columbia 1978 Casino Columbia 1980 Splendido Hotel Columbia 1981 Friday Night in San Francisco with John McLaughlin Paco de Lucia Columbia 1982 Tour De Force Live Columbia 1982 Electric Rendezvous Columbia 1983 Passion Grace amp Fire with John McLaughlin Paco de Lucia Columbia 1983 Scenario Columbia 1985 Cielo e Terra Manhattan 1985 Soaring Through a Dream with Al Di Meola Project Manhattan 1987 Tirami Su with Al Di Meola Project Manhattan 1988 Kiss My Axe with Al Di Meola Project Tomato 1991 World Sinfonia Tomato 1993 Heart of the Immigrants Mesa 1994 Orange and Blue Bluemoon 1995 The Rite of Strings with Stanley Clarke Jean Luc Ponty 1996 The Guitar Trio with John McLaughlin Paco de Lucia Verve 1996 Di Meola Plays Piazzolla Bluemoon 1998 The Infinite Desire Telarc 1999 Winter Nights Telarc 2000 World Sinfonia III The Grande Passion Telarc 2002 Flesh on Flesh Telarc 2005 Cosmopolitan Life with Leonid Agutin Ole 2006 Vocal Rendezvous SPV 2006 Consequence of Chaos Telarc 2007 Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar In Akustik 2007 Live in London 2008 World Sinfonia La Melodia 2008 He and Carmen with Eszter Horgas 2010 One Night in Montreal Jazz Hour 2011 Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody Telarc 2013 All Your Life A Tribute to the Beatles Recorded at Abbey Road Studios London 2015 Elysium In Akustik 2017 Morocco Fantasia In Akustik 2018 Elegant Gypsy amp More Live Ear Music 2018 Opus Ear Music 2020 Across the Universe Ear Music 2022 Saturday Night in San FranciscoReferences Edit a b c d Colin Larkin ed 1992 The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music First ed Guinness Publishing p 697 ISBN 0 85112 939 0 a b c Prato Greg Al Di Meola AllMusic Retrieved September 10 2017 Smith Toby November 6 2009 Al Di Meola World Sinfonia Australian Tour March 2010 Music Feeds Retrieved September 10 2017 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 22nd 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 Al Di Meola profile Concord Bicycle Music 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 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 Al Di Meola It s Bullshit When Guitarists Say One Note Says So Much More Than 100 Guitar World July 22 2016 Retrieved September 10 2017 Yanow Scott 2013 The Great Jazz Guitarists San Francisco Backbeat p 57 ISBN 978 1 61713 023 6 Scheel Christian Al Di Meola World Sinfonia Nova Concerts Retrieved June 15 2011 In Conversation with Al Di Meola special feature on the Speak a Volcano DVD Speak a Volcano Return to Electric Guitar 2007 DVD Al Di Meola Gets Honorary Berklee Doctorate JazzTimes Retrieved April 3 2020 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al Di Meola External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Al Di Meola Official site Al Di Meola Interview NAMM Oral History Library 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Al Di Meola amp oldid 1123448741, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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