Elegant Gypsy

Performer: Al di Meola
Artist: Mingo Lewis; Steve Gadd; Anthony Jackson; Jan Hammer; Paco De Lucia
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Guitarist Al di Meola's second record as a leader is generally an explosive affair, although it does have a fair amount of variety. With Jan Hammer or Barry Miles on keyboards, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Lenny White (Steve Gadd takes his place on the "Elegant Gypsy Suite"), and percussionist Mingo Lewis on most of the selections, di Meola shows off his speedy and rock-ish fusion style. He was still a member of Return to Forever at the time and was a stronger guitarist than composer, but di Meola did put a lot of thought into this music. The brief "Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil" (an acoustic guitar solo) and "Mediterranean Sundance" (an acoustic duet with fellow guitarist Paco de Luc�a) hints at di Meola's future directions. A near classic in the fusion vein. ~ Scott Yanow DiMeola made his name as a member of Chick Corea's groundbreaking fusion supergroup Return To Forever, but it wasn't long before he embarked on a solo career, of which this album is the second installment. DiMeola takes the electric, rock-inflected jazz approach of John McLaughlin and multiplies it exponentially, upping both the wattage and the speed. He offers a few lyrical acoustic passages (foreshadowing his later collaborations with Paco DeLucia [who guests here] and McLaughlin), but the focus of ELEGANT GYPSY is DiMeola's blistering, mile-a-minute electric fretwork. He spins out endless lines of death-defying sixteenth notes, sometimes in tandem with synth wizard Jan Hammer, over slightly funky rhythms that bear a hint of Latin influence. His thick, overdriven tone and superhuman abilities, displayed to their fullest here, make the Eddie Van Halens of the world look like underachievers.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5