Al Di Meola

The JazzFriday is based on an idea of @schamangerbert

In the preparation for this post I wasn't sure which one of these guitarists I should introduce today.
I had to choose, Would it be:

• Pat Metheny
• John McLaughlin
• George Benson
• Bill Frisell
• John Scofield and
• Al Di Meola

The fact that it became Al Di Meola, has to do with the fact, that his latest album "Opus" proves once again, that he is an integral part of the greats of jazz guitarists.

Al Di Meola once said about himself, that his guitar playing was strongly influenced by George Benson.
At that time I was very surprised by this statement. I would have expected a lot more Django Reinhardt. Di Meola plays a very typical gypsy style on the acoustic guitar.
Particularly remarkable is the percussion technique and the inclusion of the guitar body as a percussion instrument.

1973
The beginning of his musical career began at the age of 19 - and leaded him directly in a formation where three of the best musicians of "young" jazz had come together.
Chick Corea (Keyboards), Stanley Clarke (Bass), Lenny White (Drums) und Al Di Meola

1976
The fusion of jazz and funk, which could already be seen in the beginnings of Return To Forever, continued with the Al Di Meola's move to Stomu Yamashta's Go project. In addition to jazz and funk, Yamashta also brought rock elements to his works.

1981
The radical change from electric to acoustic guitar took place in collaboration with Paco de Lucia and John McLaughlin.
The first joint project of these three ingenious guitarists not only enthused the audience but also the critics worldwide. To this day, the "Mediterranean Sundance" album is an absolute must on every record shelf.






After that Di Meola did not join a band anymore and concentrated almost exclusively on solo projects.
Nevertheless, there was still time for fusions that gave jazz a completely different tone. The collaboration with the pianist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh or the violinist Jean Luc Ponty and Stanley Clarke deserve special mention.

Enough talking!

That's it for tody. Till next Friday, Wolfram