Jazzkaar 2016: Al Di Meola “Elysium & More” (USA)

“Di Meola’s original, crazy staccatos and comprehensive but easily understandable and listenable style has brought him plenty of admirers among professionals and music lovers,” says music critic Joosep Sang. Many rock and jazz pianists have got inspiration to develop their style from Di Meola. His repertoire is broad and colourful – the guitarist moves swiftly between different styles.

With roots in Italy, Al Laurence Dimeola was born 22 July 1954 in New Jersey. As a child, he was enthralled by playing drums, he started learning the guitar at the age of 8. The future musician grew up listening to Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and guitar hits by the band The Ventures. When the first rock stars started emerging in the 60s, Di Meola was already headed for the paths of jazz. Larry Coryell, who was the first to join jazz and rock, became one of the examples for the young guitar player.

As a student at Berklee college, Al Di Meola made a name for himself in Chick Corea’s jazz rock band Return To Forever where he played 1974-1977. When Al Di Meola recorded his debut album ‘Land Of Midnight Sun’ in 1976, he was already a star. The critics were excited about his virtuoso and the technical complexity of his tracks. In 1981 when Di Meola had already recorded five solo albums, the legendary ‘Friday Night in San Francisco’ hit the stores. The concert recording done in December 1980 with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia, a genius combination of authentic flamenco and jazz, won the hearts of the audience immediately. The success of the album reached several million copies and ‘til today it is one of the most important albums of guitar classics’. In 1983, the studio album ‘Passion, Grace And Fire’ of the three guitar virtuosos was released.

The style range of Al Di Meola’s albums has broadened over the years, capturing different phenomena of world culture. He has recorded with stars such as Stanley Clarke, Larry Coryell, Bireli Lagrene, Jean-Luc Ponty, Paul Simon, Frank Zappa, Carlos Santana, and Luciano Pavarottiga, but also with the Italian folk singer Andrea Pariodi, the Ukrainian bandura player Roman Hrynkiv, the Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. He has also devoted an album to his friend, the tango-renewer Astor Piazzolla. In 2013, Di Meola’s album ‘All Your Life’ with music from The Beatles gained big success. After that he toured with his chamber-like World Sinfonia project. The guitarist performed at Jazzkaar in 2008 with his quartet.

This time, the core of the Al Di Meola’s trio concert will be music from the new album ‘Elysium’ (2015), older treats are also in order as Di Meola’s repertoire is broad and chromatic. The Elysian Fields are a land in Greek mythology where heroes who have gained immortality, live in everlasting bliss. For Di Meola, this record is like a paradise of happiness, close to perfection, and where he can use all his skills.

The band:

Al Di Meola – guitar

Peo Alfonsi – guitar

Peter Kaszas – drums, percussions