Al di meola mediterranean sundance ray st john

Al di meola mediterranean sundance ray st john how to#

Over the course of six more albums with Columbia Records-Casino, Elegant Gypsy, Splendido Hotel, Electric Rendezvous, Tour De Force and Scenario-Di Meola firmly established himself as a powerful and influential force in contemporary music.

He debuted in 1976 with Land Of The Midnight Sun, a typically blazing showcase of his frenetic, slashing style which also featured performances by drummers Lenny White and Steve Gadd, percussionist Mingo Lewis, synth wizards Jan Hammer and Barry Miles, bassists Anthony Jackson and Jaco Pastorius.

вЂњIt was probably for the best because we each got a chance to develop our own careers and get to know what it was like to be a leader and producer and just be out on our own.вЂќ He called the breakup a blessing in disguise.

After three wildly successful landmark fusion albums with Corea on keyboards, Stanley Clarke on bass, Lenny White on drums and Di Meola on guitar-Where Have I Known You Before, the Grammy Award winning No Mystery and Romantic Warrior-RTF disbanded in 1976, effectively launching AlвЂ™s solo career.

The next night he played to a crowd of 40,000 in Atlanta.

Following a weekend of rehearsals with that band, Return to Forever, Di Meola made his debut with RTF at Carnegie Hall.

In 10 minutes I packed some clothes in a bag, got a ride to New York and never saw that apartment in Boston again.вЂќ вЂњI was just sitting around my apartment in Boston on a Friday afternoon when Chick called and asked me to come to a rehearsal in New York,вЂќ he recalls. It was in the early part of 1974 that he received the fateful call from Chick Corea. By the second semester, he was playing in a fusion quartet led by keyboardist Barry Miles.

In 1971, Di Meola enrolled at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

I wanted to do something new, something nobody was doing.вЂќ I really dug Tal Farlow and Kenny Burrell at the time, but I also knew that it wasnвЂ™t what I ultimately wanted to do. I started listening to bluegrass, especially Doc Watson, which really helped me develop my speed. вЂњI had grown up on rock and loved it, but found it a very limited kind of music for expansion on your instrument. вЂњI was trying to find myself, or find the kind of music that suited where I was going with the guitar,вЂќ he told Down Beat.

Al di meola mediterranean sundance ray st john how to#

Following an intensive period of woodshedding between his junior and senior years in high school, in which he practiced the guitar from eight to ten hours a day, Di Meola emerged with impressive chops and a clear idea of how to apply them.

вЂњI used to ride the bus from New Jersey to see him play at little clubs in Greenwich Village,вЂќ he recalls. Guitarist Larry Coryell, whom Al later dubbed вЂњThe Father of Fusion,вЂќ became a particular focus of interest.

A big influence on his musical outlook during his formative years was the burgeoning hybrid of rock and jazz that came to be known as fusion music.

They were interested in my technique, but at the same time they were jealous of it.вЂќ It never fit the kind of music that they were playing. Even though I wanted to learn Beatles and Ventures music when I began taking lessons, my teacher (Bob Aslanian) also made me learn jazz and bossa nova and a little classical, so I had all this technique that my friends couldn't understand. вЂњSo I was never really accepted by that group of so-called friends in Bergenfield because they didnвЂ™t know what to make of my style. вЂњIn the вЂ60s, if you didnвЂ™t play like Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page, you werenвЂ™t accepted,вЂќ he recalls of his high school years in Bergenfield, New Jersey. By his early teens, he was already an accomplished player, though he felt somewhat ostracized from the local clique of musicians. Drums were his first instrument, but by age eight he had switched to guitar.

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.

Notable instruments: Gibson Les Paul, PRS McCarty, PRS Al Di MeolaДЎ3. Instruments:Guitar, keyboards, drums, cello, vocals, percussion Occupations:Musician, songwriter, producer Genres:Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, world fusion Born:July 22, 1954, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States